While previous studies have shown that Zyban can help up to 30 percent of average smokers to quit for at least a year, the medication was never tested on hardcore smokers, defined as those who can't stop smoking despite being sick with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

But new research conducted by scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) found that when hardcore smokers take Zyban, their chances of quitting increased from 9 percent to 16 percent.

"They almost doubled their chances of giving up. That's about the same chance as smokers in general," said Dr. Donald P. Tashkin, a professor of pulmonology at UCLA and leader of the study.

The study's findings were presented at the Sept. 1 World Congress on Lung Health.

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