Newly Approved Drug to Quit Smoking Appears Effective

Are you trying to quit smoking? Then you'll do better taking these new pills than chewing nicotine gum or wearing a skin patch. According to a study published in the August 14/28 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, the recently approved (May, 2006) drug varenicline tartrate is more effective than other treatments in helping smokers kick the habit.

Current smoking cessation aids-as these drugs are known-fall in one of two categories: nicotine replacement therapies (NRT), such as chewing gum, skin patches, tablets, nasal sprays and inhalers; and non-NRT medications, such as the antidepressant drugs bupropion and nortriptyline.

Scientists have tried to develop new smoking cessation aids for two main reasons. One, NRTs carry some known health risks. For example, nicotine patches can have toxic effects if used while still smoking. Two, bupropion and nortriptyline are not highly effective-on average, only between 7 and 30% of users are still not smoking after a year.

The new drug, varenicline, is a non-NRT that simulates the effect of nicotine in the brain without creating addiction. When nicotine is present, the drug helps suppress some of the reinforcing effects of smoking.

In the Archives study, researchers selected 638 healthy adults between 18 and 65 years of age who smoked at least 10 cigarettes per day. They were randomly assigned to one of three different treatment groups: varenicline, bupropion or placebo (usually an inert substance such as a sugar pill). The varenicline group was further divided into one of three dose regimens (0.3 mg once daily, 1.0 mg once daily, or 1.0 mg twice daily).

The study participants were treated for seven weeks and were then asked to participate in follow-up counseling (to prevent relapsing into smoking) for up to a year after the beginning of the treatment.

The study found that more people taking varenicline (48%) quit smoking than those treated with bupropion (33%) and placebo (17%). The higher the dose of varenicline, the more effective it was.

"In this study," the authors wrote, "varenicline tartrate, 1 milligram twice daily, effectively helped subjects quit smoking, with response rates three times higher than those for placebo while demonstrating a good tolerability profile in this population of smokers who on average had smoked approximately 20 cigarettes per day for approximately 24 years."

These are good news for those looking for alternatives to help them kick the smoking habit. Be cautioned, however, that Pfizer Inc., the manufacturer of varenicline, funded the study-independent researchers must confirm these positive results. Varenicline is marketed under the brand name Chantix and requires doctor's prescription.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the approved course of Chantix treatment is 12 weeks. Those who successfully quit smoking during treatment can use it for another 12 weeks to further increase their chances of staying away from the cigarette pack. Side effects include nausea, headache, vomiting, gas, insomnia, abnormal dreams, and change in taste perception.