Nicotine Patches News and Research

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Effective smoking cessation treatments

With the national trend toward quitting smoking flat, psychologists are finding some success with treatments aimed at helping smokers from underserved groups, including racial and ethnic minorities and those with psychiatric disorders.

15 Feb 2010

Extended nicotine patch therapy benefits relapsing smokers trying to quit

New research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine may help more smokers keep their New Year's resolution by helping them quit smoking. Extended use of a nicotine patch - 24 weeks versus the standard eight weeks recommended by manufacturers - boosts the number of smokers who maintain their cigarette abstinence and helps more of those who backslide into the habit while wearing the patch, according to a study which will be published in the February 2 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.

2 Feb 2010

Pennsylvania Department of Health offers smokers free NRT kits as part of 'Determined To Quit' Week

The Department of Health will provide free nicotine patches to help Pennsylvanians who are trying to quit tobacco starting Monday, Jan. 25. Kits will be offered -- while supplies last -- through the PA Free Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

22 Jan 2010

QUITPLAN Services' quit-smoking campaign: Monkeys on people's backs

Quitting smoking is one of the most popular New Year's resolutions for many Minnesotans. As the holiday approaches, QUITPLAN Services, the free quit-smoking program provided through ClearWay Minnesota(SM), hopes to motivate them to make a fresh start with a new television ad launching just as most smokers resolve to quit. The new ad acknowledges that every individual experiences different triggers for smoking, and highlights the free, personalized help available through QUITPLAN Services. The ad debuts on Dec. 28.

24 Dec 2009

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

Use nicotine patch along with nicotine gum or lozenges to calm withdrawal symptoms and tobacco cravings

As smokers consider quitting on the Great American Smokeout - Thursday, November 19th - many are frustrated that over-the-counter nicotine patches, gum, and lozenges have not worked for them. Even President Obama admits he still smokes despite using nicotine gum.

13 Nov 2009

Academic Health Center receives 128 grants totaling nearly $35 million in federal stimulus money

Academic Health Center scientists, physicians, and research centers have attracted 128 grants totaling nearly $35 million in federal stimulus money (as of Nov. 10) since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was approved in February 2009. This will result in a total economic impact of more than $105 million; according to the National Institutes of Health, $1 of research funding multiplies to more than $2 of goods and services in the economy.

11 Nov 2009

NIH awards $4 million research grant to AllTranz

AllTranz, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing drugs to treat a variety of neurologic and inflammatory disorders, today announced that it has been awarded a $4 million research grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to advance the company’s transdermal tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) patch for the treatment of marijuana dependence and withdrawal.

3 Nov 2009

Want to quit smoking? Try a nicotine patch plus a nicotine lozenge

In a comparison of five different smoking cessation medications, a nicotine patch plus a nicotine lozenge appears most effective at helping smokers quit, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

3 Nov 2009

Crushing virtual cigarettes reduces nicotine dependence

Smokers who crushed computer-simulated cigarettes as part of a psychosocial treatment program in a virtual reality environment had significantly reduced nicotine dependence and higher rates of tobacco abstinence than smokers participating in the same program who grasped a computer-simulated ball, according to a study described in the current issue of CyberPsychology and Behavior, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

28 Oct 2009

Health care providers should assist patients in breaking the smoking habit

More than a quarter of cancer survivors who still smoke have not been advised to quit smoking by their health care providers in the last year, according to a study published by researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center in the current issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

21 Oct 2009

LTS LOHMANN Therapie-Systeme celebrates 25th anniversary

LTS LOHMANN Therapie-Systeme AG, the leading developer and manufacturer of transdermal, topical and oral systems with facilities in Andernach, Germany and West Caldwell, New Jersey, celebrates its 25th anniversary.

1 Sep 2009

Study finds presence of diethylene glycol and nitrosamines in e-cigarettes

A recent laboratory study performed at the request of the Food and Drug Administration revealed ingredients in e-cigarettes that skeptics suspected all along. The minuscule presence of diethylene glycol, an ingredient that is found in antifreeze and certain levels of nitrosamines, were found in some cartridges.

25 Aug 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

Morphine patches create addiction

Morphine patches are supposed to reduce use of painkillers, and provide more control over their use in chronic pain conditions. But researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and St. Olavs Hospital in Trondheim have found otherwise.

15 May 2009

Calming neurological effects of nicotine studied

The calming neurological effects of nicotine have been demonstrated in a group of non-smokers during anger provocation.

23 Apr 2009

Smokers with serious illnesses need additional help to quit, study says

Individuals with serious illnesses - including cancer, heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - make up a disproportionately high segment of current smokers and are also among the most addicted to tobacco use.

8 Apr 2009

Naltrexone can reduce relapse rates among alcohol-dependence patients

Naltrexone, an opioid antagonist approved in 1994 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for alcohol-dependence (AD) treatment, can reduce relapse rates among AD patients.

20 Mar 2009

Discovery of new mechanism for the processing of endocannabinoids

New research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, has identified a new mechanism for the processing of endocannabinoids, natural brain compounds similar to THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.

17 Mar 2009

FDA warning on risk of wearing medicated patches during MRIs

Certain adhesive patches that deliver medication through the skin have been found to be a risk to patient safety. The patches, if worn while undergoing magnetic resonance imaging scans or MRIs, can cause skin burns, says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration today.

5 Mar 2009