Cough science is changing: privacy, placebo and more - May, 2025
May 9th, 2025
Hyfe's monthly Cough Science News newsletter is curated for researchers, healthcare professionals, and anyone interested in understanding cough science. Each edition features the latest research, essential insights, upcoming events, and exclusive interviews with cough science experts.
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Here’s What’s Inside
The Research Roundup
New cough science publications vetted and collected in one place
Can passive cough monitoring predict COPD exacerbations?
Key Takeaway: In this 12-week double-blind study, 32 patients with COPD were monitored at home using a stationary bedside device that tracked nighttime cough frequency. The system flagged 59% of exacerbations, with 26% detected before symptom onset, providing a median lead time of 6 days. Importantly, the system required no patient input and was rated as unobtrusive and acceptable by nearly all participants.
Why It Matters: Early intervention is crucial in COPD, but existing tools rely on patient-reported data and have high false alert rates. This study shows that passive cough monitoring offers a low-burden, high-specificity alternative. While 30% of exacerbations occurred without increased coughing, this approach still offers a promising foundation for future remote monitoring systems in COPD.
How much does cough affect quality of life in progressive pulmonary fibrosis?
Key Takeaway: In this multicentre observational study of 248 patients with progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF), over 75% reported experiencing cough, a symptom that significantly affected health-related quality of life. Cough severity, measured by VAS and LCQ scores, was associated with poorer lung function and reduced six-minute walk distances, highlighting its clinical importance beyond breathlessness alone.
Why It Matters: Cough is common in PPF and contributes meaningfully to the disease burden, yet it remains under-recognised and inadequately managed. This study highlights the need to treat cough as a key symptom in PPF care and to prioritise it in future treatment approaches and clinical research.
What’s next for chronic cough treatment?
Key Takeaway: This expert review outlines the ongoing challenges in managing chronic cough and the emerging shift from traditional anatomical diagnoses to a treatable traits approach. Despite the growing recognition of cough hypersensitivity as a core mechanism, there are still no widely approved drug treatments. Promising candidates like P2X3 antagonists show potential, but high placebo responses and outdated endpoints have stalled progress.
Why It Matters: Chronic cough is increasingly seen as a distinct disease, but clinical trials and treatment strategies have struggled to keep up. The authors call for better-designed trials, modern patient-reported outcomes, and wider adoption of continuous cough monitoring to address cough’s variability. They also highlight the urgent need for clinician and patient education to improve diagnosis, management, and access to care.
Plus…
Featured Insights: How can we protect privacy while monitoring cough in clinical trials?
As continuous cough monitoring enters clinical trials, this whitepaper lays out the urgent ethical and operational questions - and the technologies that could solve them.
Now On Demand: Actigraph x Hyfe Webinar
Placebo effect. Digital biomarkers. The future of cough measurement in trials.
In this session with ActiGraph, we explore how continuous, objective cough monitoring can overcome long-standing barriers in respiratory research, like unreliable endpoints and high placebo responses. Learn how digital tools are reshaping trial design for COPD, asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, and chronic cough.
Upcoming Cough Science Events
RIS & ATS 2025
Meet Hyfe at the Respiratory Innovation Summit (RIS) on May 16–17, where we’ll present a poster on our digital therapeutic for chronic cough, and our CMO, Dr. Peter Small, will be speaking on a panel.
We’ll also be at ATS 2025, presenting three poster presentations and featured in several partner presentations (poster and oral). To schedule a meeting with our team at RIS and ATS, please email our Digital Health Lead, Dr. Mindaugas Galvosas - mindaugas@hyfe.com.
American Cough Conference (ACC) 2025
Hyfe’s team is also looking forward to the 10th American Cough Conference on June 6–7, where we’ll showcase our cough monitoring and digital therapeutic products, deliver an oral presentation, and join a panel discussion on cough monitoring solutions.
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