ANTITUSSIVE COMPOUNDS: TESTING METHODS AND RESULTS

¹ Merck Institute for Therapeutic Research, Rahway, N. J.

For testing compounds for antitussive activity, methods are described which give linear dose-response relationships. It was found that codeine, narcotine, Propadrine, and nalorphine produced almost identical antitussive responses after subcutaneous administration in guinea pigs.

Oral administration in dogs gave results similar to those in guinea pigs for these compounds. Some compounds related to narcotine; i.e., cotarnine, hydrastinine, and hydrastine, were considerably less effective orally than narcotine.

N-Allylnormorphine, though a powerful antagonist to most of the actions of narcotic drugs, was found to be synergistic with the antitussive activity of the same drugs. No relationship between narcotic antagonism and antitussive activity was found when a series of compounds related to N-allylnormorphine was tested.