Studies Published in JAMA Show CHANTIX Significantly Increases Likelihood
of Quitting Over Most Commonly Used Prescription Medication
NEW YORK, July 4 /PRNewswire/ -- CHANTIX(TM) (varenicline) was shown to
be effective with a favorable safety profile as an aid to smoking cessation
treatment, according to three pivotal studies published in this week's
Journal of the American Medical Association.
Chantix, the first new prescription smoking cessation medication
approved in nearly a decade, received U.S. Food and Drug Administration
approval on May 10. Chantix is expected to be available in U.S. pharmacies
in August. Because smokers need considerable support to successfully quit,
Chantix will be available to patients with a support program designed to
help address behavioral components of smoking dependence. This personalized
program will be offered at no additional cost and easy to use.
"According to the World Health Organization, every eight seconds a
person dies of a smoking-related disease -- almost as quickly as someone
else takes up smoking for the first time," said Dr. Joseph Feczko, Pfizer's
chief medical officer. "Chantix represents a significant new discovery for
smokers who are trying to quit."
Data show that approximately 44 percent of patients treated with
Chantix (1mg twice a day) quit smoking by the end of the 12-week treatment
period versus 30 percent who used buproprion SR (150mg twice a day) and 18
percent who used placebo. In an additional phase III clinical trial,
patients who remained quit after 12 weeks of treatment with Chantix were
randomized to receive an additional 12 weeks of treatment with Chantix or
placebo. At the end of 24 weeks, 70.5 percent of patients on Chantix
continued to abstain from smoking compared to 50 percent who switched to
placebo.
In trials, Chantix was generally well tolerated with overall
discontinuation rates similar to placebo. The most frequent side effects
included nausea, headache, trouble sleeping and changes in dreaming.
In November 2005, Pfizer submitted a European marketing authorization
application for varenicline for smoking cessation.
Pfizer spokespeople and clinical trial investigators will be made
available for one-on-one interviews.
Patients and health care providers can visit http://www.chantix.com or call
1-877-CHANTIX and register to receive more information about Chantix. For
prescribing information, please visit http://www.chantix.com.
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http://www.thenewsmarket.com/pfizer.
SOURCE Pfizer
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cell, +1-917-743-4349
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