Study results demonstrate digital Behavioral Cough Suppression Therapy reduced cough frequency by over 40% in patients with refractory and unexplained chronic cough
Wilmington, Del., October 16, 2025 – Hyfe, Inc., the global leader in AI-powered cough care, today announces results from a proof-of-concept study demonstrating that its digital therapeutic (DTx) produced clinically meaningful improvements in patients with refractory and unexplained chronic cough (RCC/UCC). Evidence shows Behavioral Cough Suppression Therapy (BCST), typically delivered in-person by speech-language pathologists, is highly effective at helping patients address and reduce their urge to cough, but access is limited. Fewer than 200 therapists in the U.S. offer BCST, leaving most of the six million people with RCC/UCC without effective options.
These findings mark an important step toward expanding non-drug treatment options for chronic cough, a persistent and often debilitating condition with few effective therapies available. RCC and UCC affect up to 10% of adults globally, yet there are currently no FDA-approved medications to effectively treat it. The study will be presented in the breaking news section at the leading pulmonary and critical care medicine conference, CHEST 2025, on Thursday, October 21 in Chicago, Illinois.
The single-cohort proof-of-concept study (N=10 with RCC) evaluated the DTx over a four-week treatment period. Cough frequency and bouts were monitored using the app, and quality of life was measured using the Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ). Across all participants, average cough frequency fell by 41.8% and cough bouts by 41.5%. The results were stronger still for those with more severe coughs (more than 10 coughs per hour), with a reduction of 43.9% and 44.2% in coughs and bouts, respectively. Additionally, 80% of participants reported clinically meaningful improvement in quality of life.
To expand access, Hyfe integrated key elements of BCST directly into its CoughPro wellness monitoring app, creating a tool that delivers BCST-based guidance through a smartphone. Through the program, patients receive education about cough hypersensitivity and step-by-step training modules in cough suppression techniques, paired with Hyfe's AI-driven cough monitoring technology to track progress in real time. The same AI algorithms, validated across more than 50 clinical studies, enable accurate, continuous cough tracking for patients and clinicians to objectively measure improvement.
“These findings mark an important step toward expanding access to proven cough therapies through digital innovation in the U.S. and globally,” said Dr. Peter Small, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Hyfe. “By digitizing behavioral cough suppression, these research findings are a critical step in bridging the gap between research and real-world accessibility. With global pharmaceutical leaders like KYORIN Pharmaceutical Co. launching this treatment exclusively in Japan, we hope further partnerships will bring this solution to more patients in additional markets worldwide.”
The results provide evidence for the effectiveness of DTx for Behavior Cough Suppression Therapy and highlight the future potential of app-based behavioral care to meet needs that traditional treatment and BCST are missing.
To explore partnership opportunities or learn more about Hyfe’s digital therapeutic platform, visit hyfe.com or schedule a call here.
About Hyfe, Inc.
Hyfe, Inc. is the global leader in AI-powered cough-monitoring technology. The company’s patented machine-learning software enables passive, long-term monitoring of cough frequency, revealing novel health insights. Hyfe delivers cough-monitoring solutions that empower pharma and academic researchers to advance clinical trials, enable healthcare providers to optimize patient care, and power digital therapeutics to transform the management of respiratory illness, including chronic cough. Hyfe’s technology has been used in 50+ research studies, and its long-term partners include global pharma companies and leading academic institutions. More information is available at hyfe.com.
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