Covidien releases long-lasting cough medicine

ST. LOUIS Covidien has released a cough suppressant that lasts up to 12 hours, the company has announced.

The company describes TussiCaps as the first and only hydrocodone antitussive oral capsules able to provide relief for that long.

“TussiCaps offer patients a unique approach to handling the challenges of measuring liquid cough medications,” Covidien Pharmaceutical Products president Chuck Bramlage said. “Our commitment to increasing patient safety and helping to reduce the potential for dosing errors is demonstrated in TussiCaps, which offers more precise and convenient dosing than liquid formulations.”

Administering oral liquid medicines can be difficult. According to a study published this year in the Annals of Pharmacotherapy, 85 percent of caregivers measured an excessive dose of liquid medication when using a dosing cup, while 4 percent measured accurate doses.

The drug, known generically as hydrocodone polistirex/chlorpheniramine polistirex is available by prescription in 10 mg/8 mg capsules.