This treatment used in smoking cessation is not linked to depression and suicidal thoughts. It also would not increase the risk of heart disease.
Champix (varenicline), a drug prescribed for smoking cessation, does not increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and depression, according to a study published this Sunday in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
Only available on prescription, Champix seemed to cause serious side effects, in particular psychiatric (depression, irritability, suicidal thoughts) and cardiovascular. In the face of potential dangers, the High Authority of Health (HAS) had decided its delisting in 2011 and had specified that it should only be used as second intention, after failure of nicotine replacement treatments.
However, this drug which acts like nicotine without causing the sensation of pleasure turns out to be the most effective treatment to stop smoking, underline researchers from the universities of Edinburgh (Scotland) and Düsseldorf (Germany).
More than 160,000 patients followed
The team of researchers analyzed anonymous health data from more than 164,000 smokers aged 18 to 100 across England. Some of these patients were taking varenicline or another treatment called Zyban (bupropion) while others were using nicotine replacement therapy (patches, chewing gum or lozenges).
During the six-month follow-up, the researchers noted that patients on drug therapy were no more prone to suffering a heart attack than those using nicotine replacement therapy. They were not at greater risk for depression or self-harm.
Prescribe more widely
“Smokers lose about 3 months of life expectancy each year. Our study supports the use of varenicilin as an effective and safe method to help people quit smoking, ”says Prof Daniel Kotz, Düsseldorf Medical School and author of the study.
Confident in their results, which confirm those published last March in the British Medical Journathe, researchers are calling on health authorities such as the American Medicines Agency or HAS in France to review their decisions. They also suggest that doctors prescribe this drug treatment more widely.
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