Thalidomide Quiets Cough in Patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis often experience disabling nonproductive cough, for which we have no effective treatment. In this industry-sponsored, double-blind, crossover trial at Johns Hopkins, 24 such patients were treated with thalidomide and placebo (12 weeks each, in random order), and cough-specific quality of life and cough severity were assessed.

During the thalidomide phase, patients showed a significant mean improvement on the Cough Quality of Life Questionnaire (score range, 0–112; mean score at baseline, 61; mean improvement, 11) and in cough severity. The most common adverse effect was constipation.