Good news for Pfizer's troubled Champix

US drug giant Pfizer says that smokers treated with Champix (varenicline) are more likely to quit after 12 weeks of therapy than those using nicotine replacement products. The research, which was completed in 2006, forms part of the firm's response to the negative publicity the product has recently received following the Food and Drug Administration's warning about the serious neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with its use (Marketletters February 11).

Drug boosts chances of cessation

The reported data are from a trial conducted at 24 centers throughout Europe and the USA which compared Champix (known as Chantix in the USA) with the NiQuitin CQ Clear patch, made by UK drug major GlaxoSmithKline. The open-label study, which enrolled smokers aged between 18 and 75 who smoked an average of 15 cigarettes a day, randomly assigned participants to either 1mg of varenicline, or NRT for a period of three months.