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New kind of drug could increase quit rate
Source: (cancerfacts.com)
Friday, May 05, 2006
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ – May 5, 2006 – Smokers who try to quit using existing medications, such as nicotine patches or Zyban, are about twice as likely to succeed as those who don't use medication or are prescribed placebos during clinical trials a new analysis of previous studies shows.
Despite the relative effectiveness of medications currently on the market, however, more than 80 percent of those who quit will be smoking again within a year, according results of the review of previous studies led by Dr. Jonathan Foulds from the Tobacco Dependence Program at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. The results of the analysis appear in the current issue of the International Journal of Clinical Practice.
At the same time, a new kind of drug that could improve long-term quit rates is being given a six-month priority review by the FDA. The drug, called varenicline, has so far yielded promising results, suggesting that varenicline could help thousands more smokers successfully overcome nicotine dependence.
"What makes varenicline different to existing medications is that it is the first treatment specifically designed to target the neurobiological mechanism of nicotine dependence," says Foulds.
Foulds summarized 141 studies involving over 48,000 subjects who were randomly allocated different types of medication or placebos. He found that quit rates with nicotine replacement methods and drugs such as bupropion (trade name Zyban), nortriptyline and clonidine ranged from 14.6 percent to 24.9 percent. Smokers who were prescribed non-active placebos achieved success rate of between 8.6 percent and 14.4 percent.
Studies of varenicline presented at recent scientific meetings showed that short-term quit rates in the first 12 weeks were approximately four times higher with varenicline than placebos and that long-term abstinence rates, for the first year, were more than twice those of placebos. The results of human trials reported in 2005 and 2006 found that short and long-term quit rates were higher when compared with placebos or bupropion (Zyban).
Varenicline is different than previous drugs that work by blocking nicotine receptors. Varenicline successfully stimulates production of dopamine – sometimes called the brain's pleasure chemical – as well as blocks nicotine receptors. This reduces nicotine withdrawal symptoms and craving and may also prevent a lapse from turning into a full relapse.
Almost 20 countries and numerous US states have already announced or implemented comprehensive indoor smoking bans, which may further increase the number of people trying to quit.
"This is good news for smokers as many smokers are keen to quit and this gives them an added incentive," Foulds says. "Medicines like varenicline are very important as they will help many more people successfully quit smoking, including those who have failed with other methods."
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