BACKGROUND: It's a deadly habit. Approximately 440,000 people die of a cigarette smoking-related illnesses each year in the United States. This adds up to 5.6 million years of potential life lost, $75 billion in medical costs, and $82 billion in lost productivity. It's no wonder so many people want to quit smoking … and no wonder so many pharmaceutical companies are rushing to develop the next smoking cessation aide. About 25 percent of the U.S. population smokes. Half of smokers try to quit each year, and less than 7 percent are successful. One of the reasons quitting smoking is so difficult is the chemical nicotine. Smoke from cigarettes, cigars and pipes contains thousands of chemicals, including nicotine. Nicotine produces physical and mood altering effects in the brain that are temporarily pleasing. A tobacco addiction brings smokers a lot of health problems linked in studies to chemicals in tobacco smoke. Damage to the lungs, heart, and blood vessels shortens the lives of many smokers.

AVAILABLE TREATMENTS: When asked for help, physicians have a multitude of smoking-cessation aides they can prescribe to their patients. Nicotine replacement products and other medications can help smokers wean themselves off of the mood-enhancing effects of tobacco smoke. Nicotine patches deliver nicotine through the skin and help lessen cravings. Other methods of delivering nicotine without the smoke are gums, lozenges, nasal sprays, and inhalers. The patch has a few drawbacks. The area where the patch is applied is often itchy. When a sudden craving hits, an extra patch cannot be applied. Also, the constant supply of nicotine can cause an upset stomach, headaches, and sleep disturbances. Minor side effects are seen in all of the nicotine replacement methods.

A NEW APPROACH: A new drug could make quitting smoking as easy as swallowing a pill. Instead of replacing the nicotine smokers crave, Varenicline blocks the effects of nicotine. Normally, the rush of nicotine to the brain following a drag on a cigarette will stimulate the release of the brain chemical dopamine. Dopamine is also released when people engage in sex, eating, drinking alcohol, roller coasters, and other enjoyable activities. Varenicline works by blocking the receptors in the brain, which would normally respond to the nicotine. The drug doesn't create anywhere near the kind of dopamine rush that would lead to addiction in some people. A small clinical study of Varenicline at the University of Connecticut Health Center showed half of the smokers taking the drug quit after seven weeks. Researcher Dr. Cheryl Oncken, from the University of Connecticut, said one of the reasons Varenicline works is because it prevents the dramatic highs and lows of dopamine that lead to addiction. In this way, the drug stops smokers from suffering symptoms of withdrawal and allows them to quit smoking. Now, more extensive studies are under way to determine the safety of the drug and how much and for how long it should be taken for maximum efficacy.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Jane Shaskan
Office of Communications
University of Connecticut Health Center
263 Farmington Ave.
Farmington, CT 06030
(860) 679-4777
shaskan@nso.uchc.edu

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