Benzonatate

Benzonatate is an oral antitussive drug used in the relief and suppression of cough in patients older than ten years of age. Currently, benzonatate is the only non-narcotic antitussive available as a prescription drug. It works to reduce the activity of cough reflex by desensitizing the tissues of the lungs and pleura involved in the cough reflex. Benzonatate was approved by the FDA in 1958 under the market name Tessalon Perles. Because its chemical structure resembles that of the anesthetic agents in the para-amino-benzoic acid class (such as procaine and tetracaine), benzonatate exhibits anesthetic or numbing action. Although it not prone to drug misuse or abuse, benzonatate is associated with a risk for severe toxicity and overdose, especially in children.