Last night, I attended an RTD sponsored by Pfizer regarding advantages of short term antibiotic therapy in respiratory tract infection. While waiting for the speaker, a presentation/discussion was made regarding Pfizer’s product, Champix. I remember to have mentioned this drug in my previous post on ‘quitting smoking’. Apparently, there’s an ongoing smear campaign in the tabloids and broadsheets regarding the efficacy and side effects of the drug. The Pfizer representative explained the company’s side regarding the matter. One doctor who was present claimed that 3 of his patients who completed the 12 weeks regimen have already quit smoking.
Here’s a post to give you an idea of what’s this fuss about Champix is all about.
Champix, generic name varenicline, is a prescription pill introduced by Pfizer designed to help smokers stop smoking. It apparently reduces the smoker's craving for nicotine by binding to nicotine receptors in the brain and reduces the symptoms of withdrawal, and it reduces the satisfaction a smoker receives when smoking a cigarette. Clinical trials showed 44% of a group treated with Champix to have stopped smoking after being treated for 12 weeks, as opposed to 11% of smokers taking the placebo. Over the same duration, it was also shown to be twice as effective as Zyban (bupropion), the other main anti-smoking drug treatment. The recommended dose is 0.5 mg once daily (the 0.5 mg tablet is white) for the first three days, then 0.5 mg twice a day for days four to seven, and 1 mg twice a day from day eight until the end of the treatment.
Published side effects that have been reported to date include the following:- Vomiting and nausea
- Headaches
- Sleep disturbances and atypical dreams
- Gas (wind)
- Changes in the way food tastes (Dysgeusia)
- Constipation
- Suicidal thoughts
Of the above side effects, the most commonly reported one is nausea. Champix has not been studied in children and should not be taken by young people who are under 18 years of age.
There have recently been a number of reports purporting to link Champix with an increased risk of depression, psychosis, suicidal thoughts or in the worst case scenario, suicide. A number of patients in Canada
It’s still debatable whether Champix's modest 1 in 5 success rate is attributable to its actual effect, or to the 16 clinical counseling sessions the participants in the trials received, or to the use of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) following the 12 weeks of Champix use, or to the fact that more than 1,000 hard to treat smokers who would likely have generated substantially higher failure rates were denied participation.
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