Varenicline could help smokers unable or unwilling to quit tobacco quickly slowly kick the habit over 24 weeks.
The new medication was found to be more effective than a placebo at both making cessation more likely, and reducing smoking rates previous to quitting.
Physicians in the United States are usually advised to recommend immediate cessation of smoking by their patients. However, a survey of 1,000 regular smokers revealed just eight percent are ready to quit tobacco in the next 30 days. The same poll revealed 44 percent want to quit through a gradual reduction in their consumption of tobacco, and 68 percent are willing to use a drug to assist them in their efforts to quit.
A total of 1,510 cigarette smokers took part in the study, and were provided with either varenicline or a placebo. Participants were provided with a goal to reduce their tobacco consumption by 50 percent within four weeks, followed by a 75 percent reduction four weeks later, and total elimination at 12 weeks.
During the period of 15 to 24 weeks after the start of the study, 32.1 percent of those who took the new drug were still at their targets, compared to 6.9 percent of those who received placebos. From week 21 to 24, compliance rates were measured at 37.8 versus 12.5 percent. Success was measured in 27 percent of subject in the varenicline group, compared to 9.9 percent of those who were provided with placebos.
The study was conducted in 61 centers, in 10 countries, between July 2001 and July 2013. Participants were cigarette smokers who reported wanting to quit in three months, but not in the 30 days following the start of the study.
Roughly 42.1 million American adults currently smoke cigarettes, 17.8 percent of those over the age of 18. Use of the product is responsible for 480,000 deaths each year, 20 percent of all fatalities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The habit is less common among those over the age of 65, compared to younger adults. Native Americans and those of non-Hispanic mixed race heritage are the most likely to smoke cigarettes, with over 26 percent reporting current tobacco use. Just 9.6 percent of non-Hispanic Asians reported being smokers, making them the most tobacco-free ethnic group. Education is also correlated with cigarette use, according to the CDC. While just 5.6 percent of American with a graduate degree consume cigarettes, that number soars to 41.4 percent of those with a GED certificate.
Varenicline, sold under the brand name Chantix, is manufactured by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, and treatment costs around 250 dollars a month.
Investigation of the effectiveness of varenicline was detailed in The Journal of the American Medical Association (Jama).
