Smoking Cessation News and Research

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Burger, fries and a statin please!

British scientists have come up with a novel idea. They suggested that junk food counters should hand out free cholesterol-lowering statin drugs to their customers to “neutralize” the heart risks of eating fatty foods like burgers and fries. The idea is to project having high cholesterol fatty food as risky a behavior as driving or smoking that needs the user to go for seatbelts and filtered cigarettes respectively.

17 Aug 2010

NIDA grants Selecta Biosciences $3M to develop nicotine vaccine for smoking cessation and relapse prevention

Selecta Biosciences, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing synthetic nanoparticle vaccines and immunotherapies, today announced that it has been awarded a grant for $3 million from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), an institute within the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The grant is aimed at advancing the development of an enhanced therapeutic nicotine vaccine for the treatment of smoking cessation and relapse prevention.

16 Aug 2010

Perrigo fourth-quarter fiscal 2010 net sales up 22%

Perrigo Company today announced results for its fourth quarter and full year ended June 26, 2010.

12 Aug 2010

Aradigm reports net loss of $4.1M for second-quarter 2010

Aradigm Corporation today announced financial results for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2010.

12 Aug 2010

TriZetto announces general availability of health benefits administration and incentive management software

The TriZetto Group, Inc. today announced the general availability of its Value-Based Benefits Solution, health benefits administration and incentive management software that enables healthcare payers to customize benefits and provide incentives for individual members based on their health status, chronic conditions, and health and wellness activity.

12 Aug 2010

Smoking rates continue to fall in Japan

Japan has set a world record with the 15th consecutive year of low smoking rates according to a nationwide survey released Wednesday by Japan Tobacco Inc.

11 Aug 2010

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

Aradigm closes private placement with Novo Nordisk

Aradigm Corporation today announced that it has entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement providing for the issuance by the Company of 26 million shares of the Company's common stock to Novo Nordisk A/S in a private placement as consideration for the termination of a promissory note in favor of Novo Nordisk under which approximately $9.1 million is currently outstanding, representing an effective price per share of $0.3505.

2 Aug 2010

'Quit Smoking' Habit Changer program more effective than other popular methods

Today findings from a recent Anderson Analytics market research study were released that examined the underlying reasons for success of common methods used to stop smoking versus a new online approach. This study compared participants that completed the 42-day "Quit Smoking" program by Habit Changer against participants who used nicotine-replacement therapies or other alternatives to quit or reduce intake of cigarettes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), roughly 9.2 million smokers attempt to quit annually.

27 Jul 2010

Smoking cessation effectively alter subgingival microbiome in patients on periodontal therapy: Study

Patients with chronic gum disease who quit smoking in addition to undergoing nonsurgical therapy not only demonstrated a lower abundance of harmful oral pathogens, but also an increase in health-associated bacteria. The researchers from The Ohio State University, Columbus Ohio, and Newcastle University, United Kingdom report their findings in the July 2010 issue of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology.

22 Jul 2010

Abortion fight again heats up over high-risk pools, other health reform news

Anti-abortion activists have "scored a victory" after a decision last week by the Obama administration to not allow the new high-risk pools in America to cover most abortions, The Associated Press reports.

20 Jul 2010

Enrollment complete in Nabi's first NicVAX Phase III clinical trial for nicotine addiction

Nabi Biopharmaceuticals announced today that it has completed enrollment in the first Phase III clinical trial of NicVAX® (Nicotine Conjugate Vaccine), the company's innovative and proprietary investigational vaccine being developed to treat nicotine addiction and prevent smoking relapse.

15 Jul 2010

Study shows cigarette cravings result from habit, not addiction

Nicotine patches and gum are common ― and often ineffective ― ways of fighting cigarette cravings, as most smokers have discovered. Now a new study from Tel Aviv University shows why they're ineffective, and may provide the basis for more successful psychologically-based smoking cessation programs.

14 Jul 2010

IBC offers more personalized online information about PHR to its members

Independence Blue Cross now offers its members more personalized online information about their health – as the amazon.com experience is to the savvy shopper, the ibxpress.com experience is to the smart health care consumer. Personal health information began to flow into members' electronic health records this month – available through ibxpress.com, the company's member website.

9 Jul 2010

Interventions that help smokers quit before surgery can reduce risk of complications afterward: Review

It is well known that smokers are at an increased risk for post-surgical complications such as infections and poorly healing wounds. Likewise, smoking can contribute to lowered survival and delayed healing.

7 Jul 2010

Study: High concentrations of cocoa flavanols decrease blood pressure

A new study by UCSF cardiologists and researchers found that high concentrations of cocoa flavanols decrease blood pressure, improve the health of blood vessels and increase the number of circulating blood-vessel-forming cells in patients with heart disease. The findings indicate that foods rich in flavanols - such as cocoa products, tea, wine, and various fruits and vegetables - have a cardio-protective benefit for heart disease patients.

7 Jul 2010

Latest health disparity report examines trend of higher tobacco use among LGBT community

The American Lung Association's latest health disparity report, Smoking Out a Deadly Threat: Tobacco Use in the LGBT Community, examines the trend of higher tobacco use among the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the need for additional research specific to this community.

1 Jul 2010

Independence Blue Cross announces five new Personal Choice PPO plans

Beginning July 1, 2010, Independence Blue Cross (IBC) will offer five new Personal Choice® PPO plan options for individuals – expanding the range of individual plan choices for health care consumers in the region. These medically underwritten plans are available in three popular formats: copay, deductible and health savings account (HSA) plan designs that enable consumers to choose the type of plan and pricing that fits their specific needs.

30 Jun 2010

Guidance on ways to protect protect unborn babies from secondhand smoke exposure

New guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) suggests that testing pregnant mothers would help to ensure they receive appropriate support they need to quit for good or reduce their exposure to secondhand smoke.

30 Jun 2010

Health researchers initiate new study to reduce tobacco use

A team of health researchers from The University of Nottingham are spearheading a new project to reduce tobacco use in an area which has one of the highest rates of smoking in the country.

29 Jun 2010