Sometimes, antitussives can be a valid adjuvant to respiratory tract infections treatment. Although not always needed, this therapeutic support can be extremely useful in selected cases, and when patient is resident and monitored. In this line, the efficacy of a new peripheral antitussive, levodropropizine (Dompé farmaceutici, Milan), has been evaluated in 70 children inpatients of the Pediatric Department at san Paolo Hospital - Milan University - from September 1987 to May 1988. Thirty one male and 29 female children, aged 4 years and 6 months +/- 3 years and 5 months, suffering from various respiratory tract diseases were included in the study. Underlying diseases were represented by 21 acute bronchitis, 20 asthmatic attacks, 18 bronchopneumonia, 11 tracheitis, 6 acute episodes of chronic bronchitis, 2 hypoglottis laryngitis, 1 pertussis, 1 spontaneous pneumothorax. All parents gave their oral informed consent. The basic treatments were antibiotics in 44 patients associated or not with beta 2 agonists (31), theophylline (15), corticosteroids via aerosol (9) or parenterally (3), immunomodulators (2). Treatment with levodropropizine in the oral drops formulation at 2 mg pro kg a day was continued for 5 days and withdrawn according to the clinical evolution. Cough was registered by means of appropriate record forms given to the parents as well as with 120' tape recording whenever possible, i.e. 60 minutes before and 60 minutes after drug administration, on day one and 2. At treatment end, parents and investigator gave an antitussive efficacy judgement. Tolerability was evaluated as per clinical evolution and laboratory parameters.