New drug promises victory in battle against smoking

Chantix quadruples a smoker's odds of kicking the habit, according to three studies published in the July 5 Journal of the American Medical Association.
Chantix, which won U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval May 11, also greatly decreases smokers' likelihood of relapse in the first six months after quitting, one of the studies found, Health Day news reports.

Photo: New drug promises victory in battle against smoking

The research - much of which was presented in November at an American Heart Association meeting and all of which was funded by the drug maker, Pfizer Inc. - is encouraging, experts said, because smokers have little that's pharmacologically useful in helping them to quit, according to Food Consumer.

Although some anti-smoking specialists worry the publication of these positive findings will wrongly convince some smokers that Pfizer Inc.'s varenicline is a panacea, even the skeptics call it "promising."

Most smoking-cessation drugs are nicotine-replacement therapies. But Pfizer's varenicline, which is marketed as Chantix and was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May, is a non-nicotine drug that is thought to be beneficial for curbing smoking by stimulating the release of dopamine in the brain to reduce craving and withdrawal, the Washington Times reports.