Tabex Works to Stop Smoking Naturally

Bulgaria may have the right approach when it comes to smoking cessation products

Tabex a plant based medicine used in Europe for forty years gives smokers three times more the chance to stop smoking.

Researchers from the University College London examined the effectiveness of Tabex, plant based tablet with the active ingredient cytisine which comes from laburnum seeds.

Its ability for smoking cessation and satisfying those cravings was first found when German and Russian troops had smoked laburnum leaves for the same purpose during WWII.

Researchers examined the drugs effectiveness among 470 smoker volunteers for the study. Among them 8.4% had taken Tabex tablets between two and six each day for twenty-five days and had managed to stop smoking for one year in comparison to 2.4% who had taken a placebo.

Bulgaria's Sopharma AD developed and sells Tabex. The World Health Organization states that among the 6 million smokers who die from tobacco use each year are from low to middle income countries.

Ognian Donev, Chief Executive Officer of Sopharma and Rick Stewart, former CEO of Amarin Corp. have developed a company named Extab Corporation. The corporation is attempting to raise $20 million dollars in order to fund more tests and to find a marketing partner.

Professor Robert West, of University College London's Department of Epidemiology and Public Health and lead researcher of this study noted that Tabax benefits are comparable to other smoking cessation programs but at a portion of the cost. He further notes that stopping smoking can be extremely hard and the findings of the study suggest Tabex just may be a practical option even for the poorest of smokers.

The smoking cessation pill Chantix, manufactured by Pfizer, Inc. prescription drug and sold in the United States and Europe is also developed by cytisine. However, the cost is high. A four week starter kit containing 53 pills costs $240 for the month sold online by kwikmed.com.

According to John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Chantix may increase the risk of heart attacks and irregular heart beats.

According to the Chantix site:

"Some people have had changes in behavior, hostility, agitation, depressed mood, suicidal thoughts or actions while using CHANTIX to help them quit smoking. Some people had these symptoms when they began taking CHANTIX, and others developed them after several weeks of treatment or after stopping CHANTIX. If you, your family, or caregiver notice agitation, hostility, depression, or changes in behavior, thinking, or mood that are not typical for you, or you develop suicidal thoughts or actions, anxiety, panic, aggression, anger, mania, abnormal sensations, hallucinations, paranoia, or confusion, stop taking CHANTIX and call your doctor right away. Also tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems before taking CHANTIX, as these symptoms may worsen while taking CHANTIX."

Tabex sold online for 100 tablets for $36 at Drugspro.

Another smoking cessation treatment is hypnotherapy. In 2008, a study conducted at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and University of California San Francisco had demonstrated hypnotherapy is just as effective for smoking cessation as standard behavioral counseling combined with other treatments such as the nicotine patch.

Sources:

Guardian

Business Week