Champix for Quit Smoking
Champix for Quit Smoking
Prior research has shown that the combination of behavior counseling and drug therapy is often more effective and cost-effective as health interventions than attempting to quit unaided. To meet these needs Pfizer will go beyond offering a new treatment by also providing customized behavioral support through a program designed to help smokers in the quit process,' he added.
Discovered and developed by Pfizer, Champix is specifically designed as an aid to smoking cessation. It is believed to work by reducing the severity of the smoker's urge to smoke and alleviating many withdrawal symptoms from nicotine. Moreover, if a person smokes a cigarette while receiving treatment, the medicine has the potential to diminish the sense of satisfaction associated with smoking.
Many European governments have instituted tobacco control policy changes that help create a more supportive environment for smokers who want to quit. These policies include bans on tobacco advertising and sponsorship, stronger public health warning labels, and smoking bans in all workplaces, including restaurants. Comprehensive workplace smoking bans have already been approved in Ireland, Italy, Malta, Norway, England, Scotland, Belgium and Lithuania. Similar policies are being considered in France, Germany and other countries.
In the Middle East, many countries are considering a range of anti-smoking measures. The UAE, for example, is set to enforce tougher public smoking laws before the end of the year, potentially giving officials the power to fine law breakers on the spot.
Current provisions in the law include a ban on smoking in some public places, including restaurants.'Public health campaigns have increased people's understanding of the harmful health effects of smoking so that smokers are educated and more motivated to quit. In addition, more smokers are trying to quit today as a result of smoke-free policies and they need our support,' said Professor Bertrand Dautzenberg, Service of Pneumology and Intensive Care, Hospital Pitié-Salpétrière. 'With Champix's approval, healthcare professionals and smokers have a new treatment advance to help address this challenging addiction.'
The approval of Champix (varenicline) was based on a comprehensive clinical trial program including four pivotal trials involving approximately 4,000 cigarette smokers. Subjects on average had smoked about 21 cigarettes per day for an average of approximately 25 years. In two identically designed studies, patients receiving a 12-week course of varenicline therapy (1 mg twice daily) had nearly four times the odds of quitting versus those taking placebo and had nearly twice the odds of quitting versus those patients taking bupropion SR (150 mg twice daily), at the end of the 12-week course of therapy.
Patients in these studies were also provided with educational materials and received brief smoking-cessation counseling at each clinic visit. Patients were followed for an additional 40 weeks without treatment. After one year, approximately one-in-five patients who received the 12-week course of varenicline remained smoke-free. For those patients who quit at the end of 12 weeks with varenicline, a separate study showed that an additional course of 12 weeks treatment with varenicline resulted in a greater likelihood of long-term success in quitting smoking.
In trials, varenicline was generally well tolerated, with overall discontinuation rates similar to placebo (11.4% for varenicline vs. 9.7% for placebo). The most common side effects included nausea, abnormal dreams, headache, insomnia, constipation, gas and vomiting.
This medication, varenicline, received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval as an aid to smoking cessation treatment in May 2006 (with tradename Chantix™ (varenicline) in the United States).
