KalobaTUSS may reduce severity and duration of cough in children, Finds study

Acute cough in children often causes discomfort to children and parents, reducing their quality of life. Despite the extensive utilization of over-the-counter remedies for cough, the efficacy of most of these treatments in children has not been confirmed.

The effect of cough experienced by children on the family's life may create increasing discomfort. Indeed, children with acute cough may experience a transient disability, prompting parents to miss work and children to miss school, thus increasing the global community cost. The safeguarding effect of a mechanical barrier in the throat may be considered a well-founded therapeutic approach that indirectly exhibits anti-inflammatory activity and is able to reduce the damage produced by irritant agents or microbes. This protective activity may be acquired from natural substances such as honey and plant extracts.

Hence, Ilaria Carnevali and colleagues from the Scientific Affairs Department Schwabe Pharma Italia, Italy carried out a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of 106 children with acute cough to evaluate the efficacy and safety of KalobaTUSS®, a paediatric cough syrup based on acacia honey and on Malva sylvestris extract, Inula helenium extract, Plantago major extract, and Helichrysum stoechas extract by using a validated 6 points Likert scale.

The results showed that the children were orally treated with KalobaTUSS® or placebo for 8 days. Children receiving KalobaTUSS® showed an early and significant reduction in night-time and day-time cough scores measured using a specific scale and a shorter duration of cough than children treated with the placebo.

Therefore, they concluded that "KalobaTUSS® is well tolerated and produces positive effects by reducing the severity and shortening the duration of cough in children."