Varenicline (Chantix) News and Research

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Varenicline, also known as Chantix, is a prescription medication that eases nicotine withdrawal symptoms and blocks the effects of nicotine from cigarettes if the user resumes smoking.

Scripps researchers successfully test potential new smoking-cessation treatment in rodents

Scientists at Scripps Research have successfully tested a potential new smoking-cessation treatment in rodents.

19 Oct 2018

New study shows decline in benefits from smoking cessation medications over time

A new Tel Aviv University study published in Addiction finds that only eight out of 100 smokers who take smoking cessation medications will have benefited from taking smoking medications after one year's time.

30 Jan 2018

Use of smoking cessation drug may put people at higher risk for cardiovascular events

Varenicline, one of the most commonly prescribed drugs for helping people quit smoking, may put them at higher risk for a cardiovascular event, according to new research published online in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

20 Dec 2017

First-of-its-kind study combines smoking cessation with personalized medicine

A simple blood test is allowing Vanderbilt University Medical Cente researchers to determine which patients should be prescribed varenicline (Chantix) to stop smoking and which patients could do just as well, and avoid side effects, by using a nicotine patch.

20 Nov 2017

Extending use of bupropion before quitting reduces smoking behavior

Smokers may be more likely to successfully quit their habit if simple adjustments were made to how an existing anti-smoking medication is prescribed, according to a new study by a University at Buffalo research team.

3 Mar 2015

How quickly smokers metabolise nicotine may point to best quitting method

The success of different smoking cessation treatments could be predicted by how quickly smokers break down (metabolise) nicotine in their bodies, according to new research published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal.

13 Jan 2015

Smokers with a history of major depressive disorder (MDD) taking varenicline have significantly higher likelihood of quitting smoking than placebo

Results of a Pfizer-commissioned study published this month in Annals of Internal Medicine reveal that smokers with a past or present diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD)* taking varenicline had a significantly higher likelihood of quitting smoking (after 12 weeks and at 52 weeks) than those who were given a placebo.

18 Sep 2013

Varenicline drug helps people with depression quit smoking, say researchers

About half of smokers seeking treatment for smoking cessation have a history of depression. Compared with smokers who are not depressed, those who suffer from a major depressive disorder have greater difficulty quitting.

17 Sep 2013

Varenicline improves walking ability in patients with SCA3

A nicotinic drug approved for smoking cessation significantly improved the walking ability of patients suffering from an inherited form of ataxia, reports a new clinical study led by University of South Florida researchers.

23 Feb 2012

Quit-smoking drug Chantix effective in cocaine and alcohol addiction

Varenicline is unique among anti-addiction medications in the way it affects the brain. Like nicotine, varenicline activates a specific receptor for a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine, but it does so less intensely than the active ingredient of cigarettes does. The net effect is that the drug seems to help by both cutting cravings and making the formerly desired drug less pleasant — without making non-drug pleasures less intense. Alcohol works on the same chemical receptors in the brain as nicotine, and it may enhance the pleasurable effects of smoking.

18 Feb 2012

No link between Chantix and mental health problems says FDA

According to federal health officials this Monday Pfizer's anti-smoking drug Chantix – known as Varenicline, did not increase psychiatric problems like depression and suicidal thoughts in two studies, though the findings are not definitive.

25 Oct 2011

Warnings on stop smoking drug Champix

The smoking cessation drug Champix (sold in the US as Chantix) has allegedly made fifteen people commit suicide since January 2008 in Australia. Another 191 patients have reported suicidal thoughts and related effects. The latest available figures from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) suggest a doubling in the numbers of suicides linked to Champix (Varenicline) since July last year with six people committing suicide.

3 Aug 2010

Long-term smoking cessation success possible with treatment philosophy and individualized information

A recently completed randomized trial compared three ways to deliver a behavioral smoking cessation program using varenicline (Chantix®): by phone, web, or both. Although phone counseling had greater treatment advantage for early cessation and appeared to increase medication adherence, no differences in abstinence outcomes were seen at six months.

19 May 2010

Head and neck cancer survivors who smoke and drink face increased risk of death

Cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption before head and neck cancer diagnosis strongly predicts the patient's future risk of death, according to published studies. Now, results of a new study show a similar effect among those who continued these habits after cancer diagnosis.

3 Dec 2009

Development of VLN cigarettes for use in smoking cessation continues: 22nd Century

22nd Century Limited, LLC is pleased to announce that it is continuing development of a very low nicotine cigarette for use in smoking cessation. Clinical trial results demonstrate that these cigarettes, also referred to as ‘nicotine-free’ and ‘denicotinized,’ may be more effective for quitting than FDA-approved therapies.

28 Oct 2009

Chantix and Zyban to get boxed warnings on serious mental health events

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced that it is requiring manufacturers to put a Boxed Warning on the prescribing information for the smoking cessation drugs Chantix (varenicline) and Zyban (bupropion). The warning will highlight the risk of serious mental health events including changes in behavior, depressed mood, hostility, and suicidal thoughts when taking these drugs.

1 Jul 2009