Varenicline for Smoking Cessation
Definite Promise, But No Panacea
- Robert C. Klesges, PhD;
- Karen C. Johnson, MD, MPH;
- Grant Somes, PhD
- Author Affiliations: Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center (Drs Klesges, Johnson, and Somes); and Division of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St Jude Children's Research Hospital (Dr Klesges), Memphis.
- Corresponding Author: Robert C. Klesges, PhD, Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 66 N Pauline, Suite 633, Memphis, TN 38105 (bob.klesges{at}stjude.org).
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
In this issue of JAMA, Gonzales and colleagues,1 Jorenby and colleagues,2 and Tonstad and colleagues3 report the results of 3 randomized trials on the efficacy of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor partial agonist varenicline for achieving smoking cessation. For the clinician and the lay public, the major question from these trials is simply this: How effective and useful is varenicline for smoking cessation?
These 3 trials have several strengths that cogently argue that varenicline is efficacious for smoking cessation. Instead of the traditional 2-group active drug/placebo trial, 2 studies1-2 included a third group in which varenicline was compared with bupropion, a known efficacious first-line stop smoking agent.4 The trial by Jorenby et al2 showed significantly better long-term (ie, at 52 weeks) cessation rates with use of varenicline compared with bupropion, and the trial by Gonzales et al1 showed a trend in …
