Comparative Pharmacology
Head-to-head clinical analysis: BENZONATATE versus TESSALON.
Peer-Reviewed Evidence
Head-to-head clinical analysis: BENZONATATE versus TESSALON.
BENZONATATE vs TESSALON
Comparing the clinical profiles, pharmacokinetic behaviors, and safety indices of these two therapeutic agents.
Benzonatate is a local anesthetic structurally related to tetracaine. It suppresses cough by anesthetizing stretch receptors in the respiratory tract, reducing the cough reflex.
Benzonatate is a local anesthetic structurally related to tetracaine that inhibits pulmonary stretch receptors and reduces the cough reflex by decreasing the sensitivity of vagal afferent fibers in the respiratory tract.
100 mg to 200 mg orally three times daily as needed for cough.
100 mg orally three times daily as needed for cough. Maximum 600 mg/day.
None Documented
None Documented
Terminal elimination half-life is approximately 3–8 hours in adults; prolonged in hepatic impairment.
Terminal elimination half-life is approximately 12-15 hours in adults; significant interindividual variability. No accumulation with q6h dosing.
Primarily renal excretion of metabolites; unchanged benzonatate is negligible. Fecal elimination accounts for <5%. Biliary excretion is minimal.
Renal: <5% unchanged; primary route is hepatic metabolism with metabolites excreted renally and fecally; exact biliary/fecal % not established in humans.
Category A/B
Category C
Antitussive
Antitussive