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Study Provides Boost for Chantix
October 7, 2009

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Research Summary

British researchers say they found no evidence that the stop-smoking drug varenicline leads to depression or increased suicide risk, HealthDay News reported Oct. 2.

The drug, sold as Chantix, has been the target of complaints and lawsuits alleging that some users experience psychotic side-effects, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently ordered that a warning to that effect be placed on product packaging.

However, a new review of medical records of 80,660 people prescribed Chantix, bupropion (Zyban) or nicotine-replacement products for smoking cessation found no evidence that varenicline or bupropion increased the risk of self-harm, suicidality or depression. Some risk could exist, they acknowledged, but further research would be required to determine if that is the case.

The findings were published online on Oct. 1 in the British Medical Journal.

This article summarizes an external report or press release on research published in a scientific journal. When available, links to the sources are provided above.

COMMENTS ON THIS ARTICLE:

Posted by Melissa Walton-Shirley on 11 Oct 09 09:44 PM EDT
Just as I suspected. I heard the first presentation of a randomized controlled trial with this compound in Stockholm about 5 years ago. There were NO suicidalities, only nausea. I spoke with the presenter and predicted that when she brought this drug to America, the class action boys and gals would be salivating. Add to that the fact that we are living in the land of Good ole Brown and Williams and RJ Reynolds whose only goal is to hook more smokers. They will never stand by and allow any successful anti smoking drug to go un-maligned.

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