New drug may help you to quit smoking
Treatment with a new drug called varenicline (Chantix) may be more effective than bupropion (Zyban) in helping smokers kick the habit, and it may also promote longer-lasting abstinence.
By Agencies |
NEW YORK: Treatment with a new drug called varenicline (Chantix) may be more effective than bupropion (Zyban) in helping smokers kick the habit, and it may also promote longer-lasting abstinence, suggest results of three studies in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
According to a related editorial, the drug is no panacea for people wishing to quit smoking. “There are some important gastrointestinal side effects and, in the current studies, most people given the drug actually did not quit smoking,” co-author Robert C Klesges, University of Tennessee in Memphis, said.
Chantix, the first prescription anti-smoking drug in over a decade, belongs to a different drug class than other agents currently used for smoking cessation. It stimulates sufficient dopamine release to curb cravings, while blocking the reinforcing effects of nicotine. The drug, which is marketed by Pfizer, received FDA approval in May.
In two of the Pfizer-sponsored studies, Karen R Reeves, from Pfizer Global R&D in Connecticut, and colleagues compared the effects of Chantix with those of Zyban and a placebo.
According to a related editorial, the drug is no panacea for people wishing to quit smoking. “There are some important gastrointestinal side effects and, in the current studies, most people given the drug actually did not quit smoking,” co-author Robert C Klesges, University of Tennessee in Memphis, said.
Chantix, the first prescription anti-smoking drug in over a decade, belongs to a different drug class than other agents currently used for smoking cessation. It stimulates sufficient dopamine release to curb cravings, while blocking the reinforcing effects of nicotine. The drug, which is marketed by Pfizer, received FDA approval in May.
In two of the Pfizer-sponsored studies, Karen R Reeves, from Pfizer Global R&D in Connecticut, and colleagues compared the effects of Chantix with those of Zyban and a placebo.
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