Amelie Harle on Future Tests of Aprepitant for Cough

Amelie Harle, MD, PhD, an oncologist at the Christie Hospital in Manchester, United Kingdom, discusses future tests to determine the efficacy of aprepitant (Emend) in reducing cough in patients with lung cancer.

In a recent, small study involving 20 participants, Harle and other researchers explored the NK-1 pathway and found that aprepitant significantly reduced cough in patients with lung cancer. Harle used a crossover design for the study, which allowed each patient to act as their own control.

Larger studies with parallel groups where patients receiving aprepitant are compared to patients receiving placebo are needed, Harle says. The treatment also needs to be administered for a longer period of time in future studies. In Harle’s study, aprepitant was given to patients using the same dose and duration as it would have been for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.