JEDDAH, 2 August 2006 — The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently approved Pfizer’s anti-smoking pill, Champix (varenicline). The drug is, however, not yet available in this part of the world.
Champix is a breakthrough, specifically developed to block nicotine’s effect on the brain, according to US health officials. It is the first new prescription treatment approved in over a decade for those who wish to stop smoking.
Reports that Middle Easterners might soon be able to stop smoking is good news for the region’s medical community who welcomed the FDA’s ruling on Champix and would like to see the drug made available in the region as soon as possible.
Cigarette smoking is very common in Saudi Arabia, especially among men, with different studies putting it between 25 and 35 percent. A 2001 study found that the main reason for picking up the unhealthy habit is friends, and while the majority know its harmful effects and expressed a desire to quit, the most common reason reported for failed attempts to stop smoking was lack of willpower.
A more recent study in Riyadh found that about 79 percent of all smokers started smoking between the ages of 15 and 30 years with 19.5 percent beginning before age 15. Significantly higher smoking prevalence and daily cigarette consumption were associated with being male, single, and being more highly educated. Relief of psychological tension, boredom, and imitating others were the most important reasons for smoking, whereas health and religious considerations were the most important reasons for not smoking among those who have never smoked, for quitting among ex-smokers, and for attempting to quit or thinking about quitting among current smokers.
Health and religious education were generally cited as more effective in deterring smoking than tobacco control laws and policies, according to the study conducted in 2004.
Nevertheless, having a drug that can help in quitting the habit is important once the decision to quit is made. Champix is said to nearly double the probability of long-term smoking cessation in patients, according to company executives reporting on the findings of four recent trials involving more than 2,000 participants who, on average, smoked at least 21 cigarettes per day for 25 years.
Addiction to nicotine is a habit that is very difficult for many to quit. When smokers inhale smoke from a cigarette, nicotine reaches the brain within seconds and binds to nicotine receptors, which activates the reward pathway in brain circuitry. This stimulates the pleasure center in the brain. The initial effects recede quickly and a cycle of craving and withdrawal takes hold. Champix is unique because it is specifically designed to partially activate the nicotine receptor and reduce the severity of the smoker’s craving as well as the withdrawal symptoms from nicotine.