Guaifenesin is an expectorant found in over-the-counter cough and cold medicines such as Robitussin. By loosening phlegm and increasing lubrication in the lungs, it can allow for a productive cough and decreased chest congestion.
MOTW update: December 4, 2023
Guaifenesin1 was the Molecule of the Week for November 21, 2005. It is an expectorant found in over-the-counter cough and cold medicines. It has been around since the 1940s; but in 2014, Agathe Hoffer-Schaefer and colleagues at Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond) reported that a 378-subject study found no significant differences between guaifenesin and placebo.
1. CAS Reg. No. 93-14-1.
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