Placebo ‘as good as cough syrups’

Many over-the-counter cough medicines are only partly effective, researchers at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland have found.

There was “no substantial evidence” that the medicines were effective at treating short-term coughs in adults and children, they reported.

A short-term cough is a common symptom in children and adults suffering from an upper respiratory tract infection caused by a cold.