A majority of smokers were able to stop their habit during treatment with a controversial anti-smoking drug, according to new research.
A study published in the April issue of Respirology analysed 12 weeks of treatment with varenicline, marketed in Australia as Champix, on 333 people in China, Singapore and Thailand.
Researchers found that 50.3 per cent of people taking varenicline were able to stop smoking in the final four weeks of treatment, compared to 31.6 per cent taking a placebo.
The article also reported that 38.2 per cent of smokers were able to abstain in the 12 weeks after stopping the treatment, compared to 25 per cent of those taking a placebo. "The smoking cessation rate achieved after the treatment period and the follow-up period was significantly higher with varenicline than with placebo," study co-author Dr Chen Wang, from the Beijing Institute of Respiratory Medicine, said.
"Likewise, the long-term quit rate for smokers treated with varenicline was also significantly higher." The drug, however, has been linked to serious neuropsychiatric side-effects.
In the first nine months since varenicline was listed on the PBS, the Therapeutic Goods Administration received 339 complaints, of which almost three-quarters described psychiatric symptoms including depression, aggression and even suicidal thoughts.
Manufacturer Pfizer, which funded and designed the study in Respirology, has stood by the drug's safety profile.
Source: pharmacynews.com.au |
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