The United Kingdom has just launched the free distribution of an anti-smoking pill, a hope for smokers wishing to free themselves from their addiction. If this pill exists, it is thanks to varenicline, a molecule which acts as a nicotine substitute by targeting specific receptors in the brain to reduce the desire to smoke. Marion Adler, tobacco doctor at the Antoine-Béclère hospital in Clamart (Haut-de-Seine), sees this approach favorably: “Having it available in France would be a very good idea,” she said. -she declared on franceinfo this Tuesday.
A smooth stop
For the tobacco specialist, it is essential to diversify cessation solutions to allow smokers to “quit gently and without suffering from withdrawal”. Indeed, other means allow nicotine withdrawal, such as “nicotine substitutes given at the right dose”, or the electronic cigarette, notes Marion Adler.
Varenicline had already been marketed in several countries, including France, under the name Champix. This drug was, however, withdrawn in 2022 due to impurities in its manufacturing. A new formula, now produced in England and the United States, corrects this problem.
“An effective and safe approach”
Clinical research, including a study published in 2015 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, had also already demonstrated the effectiveness of varenicline. The results indicated that after six months, 32% of participants taking varenicline had stopped smoking, compared to only 6.9% in the placebo group. For Dr Jon Ebbert, co-author of this study, varenicline represents “an effective and safe approach” to help gradually quit smoking.
Marion Adler hopes that this pill will one day be available in France, possibly in generic form, to reduce costs. She therefore calls on French laboratories to resume this drug.
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