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3 March 2009

What is Champix?
Champix, generic name varenicline, is a prescription pill designed to help smokers stop smoking.

How does it works?
Champix works primarily in two ways. Firstly, it reduces the smoker's craving for nicotine by binding to nicotine receptors in the brain and reduces the symptoms of withdrawal. Secondly, it reduces the satisfaction a smoker receives when smoking a cigarette.

How successful was it in clinical trials?
In trials, 44% of the group treated with Champix had 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
Has Champix been approved by the European Commission and the FDA for use as an aid to quitting smoking?
The European Commission approved Champix on September 29th, 2006 as a "stop smoking" aid for adults, based on the results from clinical trials. It should be noted that continued abstinence from cigarettes is higher (70% compared with 50%) when patients take the drug for 24 weeks as opposed to 12, so it may be appropriate for patients who have succeeded in quitting smoking at the 12 week point to take the drug for a further 12 weeks.
The FDA approved the drug in May 2006. See FDA approves novel drug for smoking cessation for further details. It was approved for prescription on the NHS in Scotland on 14th January, 2007.
 
How the drug taken and what is is the recommended dose?
It is taken orally. For the first three days, the dosage is 0.5 mg once daily (the 0.5 mg tablet is white). For days four to seven, the dosage is 0.5 mg twice a day. From day eight until the end of the treatment, the dose is 1 mg twice a day (the 0.5 mg tablet is blue).You should set a date to quit smoking, and start taking the drug one week before this date.
 
What are the health benefits of stopping smoking?
The risk of getting cancer and other diseases reduces after you stop smoking, including:
  • The risk of cancers of the mouth, throat and esophagus are halved after you have quit for five years
  • The risk of cancer of the lung is halved after you have quit for ten years.
  • The risk of heart disease is halved after you have quite for one year, and after fifteen years the risk is almost as low as if you had never smoked.
  • The risk of a low birth weight baby is removed if you quit before you fall pregnant or during the first three months of pregnancy.
  • Lung function increases by up to 10% between three and nine months after quitting, improving your "smoker's cough" and wheeziness.