Study of Count Coughs in Subjects With Acute Upper Respiratory Tract Infections

A Methodology Study to Assess Cough Counts in Subjects With Acute Upper Respiratory Tract Infections

The objectives of this study are: a) to assess the feasibility and sensitivity of manually count cough bouts over a 4-hour period; b) to assess the effects of buckwheat honey and guaifenesin 400 mg immediate release tablets compared to placebo on the frequency and severity of acute cough due to upper respiratory tract infection and c) to evaluate the correlation between cough bout frequency and subjective assessments of cough severity. The hypotheses to be tested is that 10 ml of buckwheat honey and 400 mg of immediate release guaifenesin will significantly reduce the frequency and severity of cough compared to placebo over a 4-hour evaluation period.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Male or female subjects at least 18 years of age and in generally good health who are experiencing an acute upper respiratory infection of 10 days or less in duration;
• Subjects currently have acute cough self-rated as at least moderate due to an acute Upper Respiratory Infection (URTI) (i.e., cold or flu) as established by a study physician, nurse practitioner, or physician's assistant;
• Subjects who have > 5 cough bouts during the 30 minute baseline assessment period

Exclusion Criteria:

• Subjects who have acute, subchronic, or chronic cough due to any condition other than a URTI as established by the Investigator, nurse practitioner, or physician's assistant, in accordance with the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) Guidelines for Diagnosis and Management of Cough. Special attention should be paid to highly prevalent conditions commonly presenting with cough such as asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) (N.B. Subjects with exercise-induced asthma may be eligible for the study as long as they have not experienced an episode of asthma within 24 hours of enrollment)
• In the opinion of a study physician, nurse practitioner, or physician's assistant, subjects with sinusitis or who have a history of (within the past 2 years) frequent clinically significant sinusitis;
• Subjects with a history (within the last 3 years) of alcohol abuse (i.e., consuming greater than or equal to 3 alcoholic drinks/day on a regular basis) or substance abuse (i.e., ingesting/smoking marijuana more than once a week at any time during the past 6 months or using any other recreational drug more than once during the past 6 months). (Note: One "drink" of alcohol=1 oz. liquor, 6 oz wine, 12 oz. beer.);