After being withdrawn from the global market due to impurity problems in Champix® or Chantix®, varenicline is making a comeback in the United Kingdom, in a brand new version. Tens of thousands of British smokers will be able to benefit from it for free, announces the government, more determined than ever to support its population towards a smoke-free world. But also, it seems, without steam…
What is varenicline?
Varenicline is a partial agonist of cerebral nicotinic receptors, developed by Pfizer laboratories and used since 2007 in France through Champix® or Chantix®, as smoking cessation medication. Withdrawn from circulation in the early 2020s following a problem in the production line, it is now impossible to find. With the exception of the United States and the United Kingdom, which have both approved a version 2.0 of the varéniclinefreed from its problems of impurity.
Very good news for its countries, because the molecule, derived from cytisine, is known for its high degree of effectiveness.
This, for two reasons, inherent to its composition: because it acts aspartial agonist (like nicotine), which helps relieve withdrawal symptoms; But also because it acts asantagonist (against nicotine), which helps reduce the pleasure effects linked to smoking.
Two advantages which, according to a study by the Cochrane Institute, published on May 7, 2024, would allow varenicline to show itself more effective than any other anti-smoking medication (researchers cite bupropion and cytisine in particular) and any official nicotine substitute (such as patches).
“The results suggest that people are more likely to quit smoking using varenicline for at least 6 months than using placebo (41 studies, 17,395 people), bupropion (9 studies, 7560 people), or only one type of nicotine replacement therapy, such as patches alone (11 studies, 7572 people). They appear to be as likely to quit smoking as people using two or more types of nicotine replacement therapy, such as patches and chewing gum (5 studies, 2,344 people)”
– Cochrane Institute reportMay 7, 2024 [1]
Free UK distribution
As Doctor Marion Adler reminded France Info on Tuesday November 12, 2024, « varenicline has proven effective [et] he is important to have several options to help smokers quit smoking » [2]. This is why, according to this tobacco specialist, seeing it return to the United Kingdom is excellent news. And even more, good hope for France next: « for it to be available in France, that would be a very good idea ».
Thanks to this new anti-smoking pill, developed by the pharmaceutical company Teva UK, the British government intends in particular « making the treatment options available to patients more effective while saving taxpayers more than £500 million » [3].
According to his estimates, varenicline could help more than 85,000 people quit smoking each year and prevent up to 9,500 deaths over the next 5 years in a context where around one in eight adults smoke (around 6 million people) and where more than 400,000 tobacco-related hospitalizations were recorded in 2022-2023.
As the United Kingdom had already undertaken with vaping, it therefore plans to distribute this drug free of charge to tens of thousands of smokers, accompanied by personalized support. « A second drug (cytisine) is currently under review by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) »specifies NHS England, the British public health service.
Problem nevertheless: by focusing on developing other relevant methods of stopping smoking, the United Kingdom also seems to want to increasingly tighten its measures against vaping, under the guise of protecting young people.
Vaping still under threat
While we now know the real danger – combustion – and we know any smokeless tool is preferable to tobacco cigarettes, it seems that today, everything is preferable to the use of tobacco. electronic cigarette.
Be careful, warn experts, including Marion Adler: you must not have the wrong enemy. All cessation aids are important, including vaping. It’s one thing to regulate its distribution to young people, it’s another to ban its flavors, make it less accessible with a tax or ban it completely. Especially when the most eminent studies point to its effectiveness among adult smokers and the absence of a gateway effect to smoked tobacco among young people.
Vaping is a guarantee of success for many smokers, and prevents smoking in many aspects, recalls the tobacco specialist.
While the arrival of a new form of varenicline is excellent news for British smokers, it should in no way replace other possible alternatives, such as vaping. Varenicline is one more tool towards a healthier future. As is each nicotine alternative product in its own way.
Notes
[1] Livingstone-Banks J, Fanshawe TR, Thomas KH, Theodoulou A, Hajizadeh A, Hartman L, Lindson N., Can drugs such as varenicline and cytisine (nicotine receptor partial agonists) help people quit smoking and do they cause unwanted effects? Cochrane, May 7, 2024.
URL : https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD006103.pub9/full/fr
[2] Anti-smoking pill in the United Kingdom: “Having it available in France would be a very good idea,” says a tobacco specialist, France Info, November 12, 2024.
URL : https://www.francetvinfo.fr/sante/drogue-addictions/lutte-contre-le-tabagisme/pilule-anti-tabac-au-royaume-uni-que-ce-soit-disponible-en-france-ce-serait-une-tres-bonne-idee-estime-une-tabacologue_6893420.html
[3] NHS rolls out ‘stop-smoking’ pill to help tens of thousands quit, News, NHS England, 12 novembre 2024.
URL : https://www.england.nhs.uk/2024/11/nhs-rolls-out-stop-smoking-pill-to-help-tens-of-thousands-quit/
