New Drug Varenicline Tartrate Promises Effective Help Stopping Smoking
Are you still trying to quit smoking, but finding that will power just isn’t enough? Help may be at hand, because varenicline, to be marketed in tablet form as Chantix, has now been approved by the FDA, joining bupropion (marketed as Zyban) as only the second nicotine-free smoking cessation product available to US consumers. Unlike nicotine replacement therapies, drugs like varenicline work both by cutting the pleasure of smoking and by reducing the withdrawal symptoms that lead smokers to keep lighting up.
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Chantix (varenicline tartrate) tablets, to help cigarette smokers stop smoking. The active ingredient in Chantix, varenicline tartrate, is a new molecular entity that received a priority FDA review because of its significant potential benefit to public health.
According to the US government press release:
Chantix acts at sites in the brain affected by nicotine and may help those who wish to give up smoking in two ways: by providing some nicotine effects to ease the withdrawal symptoms and by blocking the effects of nicotine from cigarettes if they resume smoking.
“Tobacco use, particularly cigarette smoking, is the single most preventable cause of death in the United States and is responsible for a growing list of cancers as well as chronic diseases including those of the lung and heart,” said Scott Gottlieb, MD, Deputy Commissioner for Medical and Scientific Affairs. “The agency is committed to helping facilitate the development of products to help people quit smoking and improve their overall quality of life.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 44.5 million adults in the United States smoke cigarettes and more than 8.6 million of them have at least one serious illness caused by smoking.
“Cigarette smoking is a very difficult habit to break due in large part to nicotine dependence or addiction” said Dr. Steven Galson, Director of FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Chantix therapy has proven to be effective in smokers motivated to quit and will provide another tool for physicians to use for the millions of smokers who want to quit.”
The effectiveness of Chantix in smoking cessation was demonstrated in six clinical trials, which included a total of 3659 chronic cigarette smokers who were treated with varenicline. Five of the six studies were randomized, controlled clinical trials in which Chantix was shown to be superior to placebo in helping people quit smoking. These smokers had previously averaged 21 cigarettes a day for approximately 25 years. In two of the five placebo-controlled studies, Chantix-treated patients were also more successful in giving up smoking than patients treated with Zyban (bupropion).
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This article was last reviewed by on Thursday, 11th May 2006. You can leave a response below.
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16 Responses to “New Drug Varenicline Tartrate Promises Effective Help Stopping Smoking”
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Lisa Scott16
I am a Drug Store Manager who smokes at least 2 packs of Marlboro cigarettes a day for the last 33 years. I am in total agreement with me trying this Chantix. If it’s not to late for me….. Maybe not but looks like this will be a big job.
If I can do this you can to! Pray for me & I will give this my best shot! Thanks for reading…. -
Christopher15
Hi Everyone and Thanks for sharing. I was reading comments and wanted to post. This is my first day on Champix. I long awaited a month to see my Dr. about quitting smoking. I have tried everything and was sucessful but short lasting. I am really wanting to quit for good and, like alot of people I am afraid of failing. Reading others comments about actually going more than 21 days with out a cigarette makes me feel I CAN DO THIS!!! the side effects scare me but I need the help to quit. I will keep you posted. Wish me luck and you the same.
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Karen14
I have been on on Champix for two weeks and after day 8 could not smoke anymore. My quit day was suppose to be the 10th day and I was unable to continue to my quit date. I have been on the patch, zyban and used Nicorette and I want the world to know that this time I will quit smoking for good because Champix is doing it for me. I have reccommended this to several of my friends and they have started it and a few have picked their quit dates and plan to join the Champix family. I cannot say enough great things about this and hope that everyone who smokes uses this and quits. Great work Pfzier. Thank you FDA for making this a priority for people like me who suffer from COPD and other smoking related ailments. I for one wil support this all the way to saving $250.00 a month in ciggarettes and not to mention the cost of my life…. I hate to quote the words of Maybelline but “I’m worth it”
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kiki13
Hello, I’ve been smoking for a long time, and tried to quit numerous times, did and started smoking again. this time I’m trying Chantix, and I’ve experienced bouts of sevear nausea, I get sick to my stock and I have to vomit, after I vomit I feel better, I just started this program to exact on the 23rd of August, I shall continue and see where it takes me. My dream is, I hope Chantix makes me sick of cigarettes, because I like them and I like to smoke. so lets see what happens.
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Maggie12
Hi Folks,
I’ve been taking Chantix since July 9th, and my Quit Date was July 30th. So far so good, 25 days smoke free. I can’t say it was easy at all, and I still have to work at it on a daily basis, but what Chantix did for me and continues to do is decrease the physical urge for nicotine, which allows me to concentrate on the Triggers and behavioral patterns I have set up over the past 30 years.
I have had no major side effects from Chantix. I experience a bit of nausea once in awhile after I take a pill, but it lasts no more than 15 minutes and goes away. And I dream a lot in series of short dreams. However, since I’ve quit smoking and have been taking Chantix, I feel more rested when I awake in the morning.
I intend to continue with Chantix for 12 weeks, as suggested.
Chantix isn’t a magic pill, as I had hoped it would be, that makes you lose your desire to smoke. No matter what smoking aid you use, quitting is hard work, but the Chantix is making the journey possible and a bit easier.
God Bless All of You, and I will pray for your success as I pray for mine.
-Maggie
-Maggie -
Joe11
BTW if any of you are getting headaches it’s most likely due to your BP going through the roof…that is how we discovered my wifes BP being so high!
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