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Experimental drug helps smokers quit smoking
An experimental drug is showing promise in helping smokers kick the habit. Researchers from Norway and the US presented their findings about varenicline Tuesday at an American Heart Association conference.
But don’t rush to your doctor for a prescription just yet. Varenicline is not yet available, though Pfizer, the company that makes it, has asked the US Food and Drug Administration to approve it. If that happens, it could give smokers another option for improving their health by quitting.
The findings presented Tuesday came from 2 studies with a total of about 2,000 smokers. Some were given varenicline pills, while others took bupropion (Zyban), an antidepressant that has been shown to help smokers quit. A third group was given dummy pills. They took the drugs for 12 weeks.
About 44% of smokers on varenicline had given up cigarettes by the end of the 12-week treatment period, compared to about 30% of the people on bupropion and just 18% of those on the dummy pill. After a year, however, the effect of the 2 drugs came close to evening out. Slightly more people treated with varenicline were still smoke-free at that time than those treated with bupropion, although the numbers were close enough that they could have been due to chance.
Nevertheless, adding a new drug to the collection of stop-smoking tools may help smokers find a treatment that works with their specific needs, said Tom Glynn, PhD, director of international tobacco programs for the American Cancer Society.
Varenicline works differently from bupropion and nicotine replacement products, the other quitting medications currently on the market. It mimics the effect of nicotine without actually delivering any nicotine to the brain, so it helps smokers overcome their cravings and withdrawal symptoms. By blocking the nicotine receptors in the brain, it may also lessen the physical pleasure people get from smoking. Side effects may include nausea, headache, trouble sleeping and abnormal dreams, according to Pfizer.
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