INTRODUCTION Clinical and preclinical studies suggest that regulation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) maybe involved in the etiology of withdrawal symptoms. METHODS We evaluated heteromeric nAChR regulation via [³H]epibatidine binding following cessation of chronic nicotine or varenicline treatment. Animals were concurrently tested in the marble-burying test to evaluate treatment...

BACKGROUND Liver injury due to prescription and nonprescription medications is an expanding public health concern in the United States, with drug-induced liver injury (DILI) being the single most common reason for regulatory actions instituted by the Food and Drug Administration against certain medications and supplements. CASE PRESENTATION A 69-year-old Latino man was referred to Hepatology ...

INTRODUCTION This review examines the postmarketing experience with varenicline, including case reports, newer clinical trials and secondary analyses of large clinical datasets. AREAS COVERED Varenicline has been shown to be an effective treatment in a broad range of tobacco users with medical, behavioral and diverse demographic characteristics. Recent studies finding excellent safety and eff...

BACKGROUND Prevalence rates of smoking are rising in developing countries. Previous trials evaluating the efficacy and tolerability of the smoking-cessation medication varenicline have used largely participants of Caucasian origin. OBJECTIVE This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of varenicline in populations of participants from Latin America, Africa, and the Midd...

Background There is limited evidence about the effectiveness of varenicline and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) for long-term smoking cessation in primary care, or whether the treatment effectiveness differs by socioeconomic position (SEP). Therefore, we estimated the long-term effectiveness of varenicline versus NRT (> 2 years) on smoking cessation, and investigated whether effectiveness di...

Smoking is a modifiable risk factor for morbidity and mortality caused by cancer, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, and many other diseases. Given the large population size and high prevalence of smoking in Asia, successful smoking cessation could potentially prevent the large number of premature deaths in Asians. However, most dependent smokers cannot successfully quit smoking due...

BACKGROUND It is important to know the comparative effectiveness of varenicline and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) for smoking cessation when prescribed under routine circumstances and in the general population. Previous estimates relied on cross-sectional data. The objective of the current study was to use longitudinal data to compare the abstinence rates of smokers trying to stop having u...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether self-regulated flexible dosing with varenicline tartrate is safe and effective for smoking cessation. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS 320 healthy, motivated-to-quit smokers (> or =10 cigarettes/day) aged 18-65 years, entered a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study - conducted between December 26, 2001 and June 24, 2003 - with a 12-week trea...

BACKGROUND The efficacy of perioperative tobacco interventions on long-term abstinence and the safety of smoking cessation less than 4 weeks before surgery is unclear. Our objective was to determine the efficacy and safety of a perioperative smoking cessation intervention with varenicline to reduce smoking in elective surgical patients. METHODS In a prospective, multicenter, double-blind, pla...

Background—Smoking cessation is a key component of secondary cardiovascular disease prevention. Varenicline, a partial 4 2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist, is effective for smoking cessation in healthy smokers, but its efficacy and safety in smokers with cardiovascular disease are unknown. Methods and Results—A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial compared th...