Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2brh9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T07:34:07.549Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Varenicline: Implications for the Field

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2012

Alex Bobak
Alex Bobak*
Affiliation:
GP and GPSI (GP with Special Interest) in Smoking Cessation, Wandsworth, London, United Kingdom. [email protected]
*
*Address for correspondence: Alex Bobak, Wandsworth Medical Centre, 90–92 Garratt Lane, Wandsworth, SW18 4DD, United Kingdom.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Varenicline tartrate (Champix) is the first in a new class of therapy for smoking cessation and has been available on NHS prescription since December 2006. It has received approval from The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the Scottish Medicines Consortium and NICE final guidance was issued in July 2007. Varenicline is a partial agonist of the nicotinic receptor (·4, 2 subtype) and also prevents nicotine from binding to it. Studies comparing safety and efficacy with bupropion (Zyban) have been favourable and efficacy with varenicline has been shown to be greater than that with bupropion. A study comparing the nicotine patch is due for publication this year. Varenicline has a good safety profile with nausea being the most common side effect in about a third of those who take it. Despite the treatment's advantages there have been numerous issues which have affected its use. These include funding and administrative issues and this paper looks at ways of overcoming those barriers to prescribing what is a valuable addition to the range of treatments on offer to smokes who want to stop.

Type
Invited Articles
Information
Journal of Smoking Cessation , Volume 2 , Supplement S1 , 01 December 2007 , pp. 8 - 11
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)