Britain's NHS launches free smoking cessation medication. Will it work? | health news

The UK's National Health Service (NHS) has launched a free smoking cessation medication called varenicline for smokers in the UK. Studies have shown that varenicline is more effective than traditional nicotine replacement therapies such as gum or patches.

Around 85,000 smokers are eligible for smoking cessation medication, which is provided alongside behavioral support programs to help them quit, the NHS announced earlier this week.

A study conducted by University College London found that approximately 9,500 smoking-related deaths could be prevented in the next five years.

This simple daily pill could be a game-changer for people wanting to quit smoking and is another important step in shifting the NHS towards prevention, NHS Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard has revealed.

So how does this new drug work and could it help prevent serious smoking-related diseases?

How many people smoke in the UK?

According to the 2023 annual census conducted in the UK, approximately 11.9% of adults aged 18 and over (approximately 6 million people) are current smokers.

The number of adult smokers in the UK by country is as follows:

England 11.6% Wales 12.6% Scotland 13.5% Northern Ireland 13.3% What drugs will the NHS use?

This is a new version of an older drug called Champix. The new launch is part of a wider UK initiative to reduce the number of smokers in the area and reduce overall costs to the NHS.

Champix, created by Pfizer in 2006, was the brand name for this smoking cessation drug on the UK market, but was withdrawn in October 2021 due to concerns about its content of nitrosamines, a known carcinogen.

A recall has been issued for local pharmacies and wholesalers after nitrosamine impurities in the drug were found to exceed acceptable limits set by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

In August 2024, it was reintroduced to the UK market as a generic smoking cessation medication called varenicline, which received official approval from the MHRA this month.

Chantix pack blister card. The smoke cessation medication Chantix, also called Champaix, was discontinued in 2021 but is now back on the market under the name varenicline. This product is available in the UK with a doctor's prescription. [Shutterstock]
How does it work?

Varenicline acts as a nicotinic receptor agonist, a substance that activates a specific type of receptor in the brain. This agonist acts in the same brain areas as nicotine.

These medications reduce the effects of nicotine on the brain while reducing cravings and preventing withdrawal symptoms. This provides patients with a controlled way to stimulate these receptors without actually using nicotine.

Professional clinicians recommend that patients take varenicline as part of a broader smoking cessation program that includes education and counseling to help them quit smoking completely.

Clinicians recommend taking smoking cessation medications for 12 to 24 weeks to successfully eliminate nicotine cravings.

According to information provided on the NHS website, one or two tablets should be taken daily, and smokers should take the medication one to two weeks before trying to quit.

The NHS also mentions the following side effects:

Feeling and/or sick Difficulty sleeping (insomnia) Vivid dreams Occasionally dry mouth Constipation or diarrhea Headache Drowsiness Dizziness How is this drug expected to save the NHS money?

Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the UK, costing the NHS around £2.5 billion ($3.17 billion) every year to treat people with smoking-related health problems.

According to figures from the NHS, there were more than 400,000 hospital admissions in England in 2022-2023 directly related to smoking-related problems.

A 2018 study by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) found a saving of £1.65 for every £1 spent on the brand-name drug Champix, a former smoking cessation medication prescribed to smokers with behavioral support. Treating diseases caused by smoking.

What else is this drug used for?

Varenicline is approved for use in 116 counties, according to a June 2023 report in the Lancet, a weekly peer-reviewed general medicine journal.

Champix (varenicline) is approved in many countries, but has been largely unavailable since its launch worldwide in October 2021, including in the UK, EU, Japan, South America and most of North America.

Champix was not re-released on the market as varenicline, a generic smoking cessation medication, until this year.

What were the results?

According to the Lancet, varenicline has been prescribed to more than 24 million smokers worldwide. Clinical studies vary, but depending on the specific study and the length of the clinical trial, between 14 and 50 percent of people successfully quit smoking.

But most researchers agree on one point. Varenicline and other smoking cessation medications are the most effective way to help people stop smoking.

Many nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) options exist to help people manage nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms when quitting smoking, including nicotine patches, nicotine gum, and even nicotine sprays, but options like varenicline have proven to be more effective. It is done. Studies of people using nicotine replacement products to quit smoking have yielded widely varying results. However, it is known that only about 10% of smokers successfully quit smoking using this method alone.

What other smoking cessation medications are available?

Varenicline is not the only smoking cessation medication on the market.

Cytisine, another smoking cessation drug similar to varenicline, is reported to be marketed only in 18 countries around the world. It has not yet received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or EMA.

A December 2023 study by Argentine researchers led by Omar De Santi, a toxicologist at the Posadas National Hospital in Buenos Aires, found that in clinical trials, cytisine pills were more than twice as likely to help participants successfully quit smoking. It turns out that it is. Placebo.

It can be very useful in reducing smoking in LAMI. [low- and middle-income] A country in urgent need of cost-effective smoking cessation medications. Worldwide, smoking is considered a leading cause of preventable death. Cytisine has the potential to be one of the big answers to this problem, Santi told media in January after last year's study.

How else is the UK government dealing with smoking?

Last week the UK government introduced the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which will see the legal age to purchase tobacco products gradually raised over the next few years.

Under the bill, the minimum age to purchase cigarettes would increase by one year each year, and anyone under the age of 15 born on or after January 1, 2009 would not be able to legally purchase cigarettes.

Together with the launch of new smoking cessation drugs, these smoke-free generation plans could save taxpayers more than 500 million pounds ($633 million) a year, according to NHS CEO Amanda Pritchard.

The government has scrapped plans to ban smoking in pub gardens but is considering making smoking outside children's playgrounds, schools and hospitals illegal. However, the main focus of the updated Tobacco and Vapes Bill is to create a smoke-free generation in the UK by making it now illegal for anyone under the age of 15 to buy cigarettes.

Prevention is better than cure. The launch of the drug will save the NHS millions of pounds, reduce care times for other patients and save lives, Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting told reporters this week.

How serious a health problem does smoking cause worldwide?

Since 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the global annual cost of tobacco-related diseases is approximately $500 billion each year.

Worldwide, 13 billion people use tobacco, resulting in 8 million deaths each year from smoking-related diseases. It's not just smokers who are affected. Approximately 13 million annual deaths occur among non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke.

Another 68 million people are estimated to use e-cigarettes.

In 2021, WHO published The Global Investment Case for Tobacco Cessation study. The study found that, on average, if the country spent $0.21 per person per year, about 88 million people could potentially quit smoking by 2030.

Additionally, quitting smoking before age 65 could potentially save a total of 9.3 million lives.

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