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| |  Nicotine Lozenge, Commit, Appears Effective for Smokers Who Have Failed Quitting With Other Products PITTSBURGH, PA -- January 5, 2004 -- Current smokers who have tried quitting in the past using other stop smoking products like the nicotine patch, gum, inhaler or Zyban should try the new Commit® lozenge. Smokers who previously failed using other stop smoking products were as successful with Commit as smokers who had never before used a medication for quitting smoking, according to a new study published in the January issue of Addiction. The study further concluded that the nicotine lozenge also was shown to benefit those smokers who have previously tried quitting without the help of cessation medicines. "Our research revealed that smokers who have tried to quit before using a cessation aid but failed are at high risk to fail again if they try to quit without using medication," said Saul Shiffman, Ph.D., research professor of psychology, University of Pittsburgh and lead author of the study. "But our analysis also found that these same smokers significantly increase their chances of achieving success if they try to quit with the nicotine lozenge. What's more, we observed that smokers who had not previously tried using a medication to help with quitting also experienced a significant benefit from the nicotine lozenge. All of this should come as welcome news to smokers who want to make the resolution to quit in 2004." The study was conducted on more than 1,800 smokers in the U.S. and U.K, the vast majority of whom (87.8%) had made previous quit attempts. Investigators assigned participants to either a high-dependence or low- dependence group based on when they reported smoking their first cigarette of the day. Those who typically smoked their first cigarette within 30 minutes of waking were assigned to the 4mg dose of the lozenge and all others to the 2mg dose. Most participants (63%) had previously used some form of stop smoking medicine, but resumed smoking. These smokers who experienced prior failure when using a cessation aid were distributed evenly between active and placebo treatment groups (51.2% vs. 48.8%). Assignment to active vs. placebo lozenge was random, and neither investigators nor participants knew which was given until the end of the study. All participating smokers completed a smoking history questionnaire that included questions about their past use of nicotine gum, nicotine patch, nicotine inhalator, nicotine nasal spray, nicotine sublingual tablet (only marketed in the U.K.) and bupropion (marketed under the brand name Zyban). Participants also completed a demographic data sheet and smoking history form. Subsequent visits were scheduled up to a year after smokers were randomly assigned to active or placebo lozenges, and minimal behavioral intervention was provided. Among the smokers who had previously tried stop-smoking medications, the odds of success among those who used active Commit lozenges were more than three times higher than those for smokers who got the inactive placebo lozenge (odds ratio = 3.4). The data also confirmed that without active treatment with Commit (i.e., on placebo), smokers with prior treatment had 40% lower odds of success (odds ratio = 0.57). The type of stop smoking aid used during previous quit attempts did not appear to impact the effectiveness of the lozenge. "Many smokers who are committed to quitting but have great difficulty have tried several times to quit, and may be discouraged by this experience. This study shows that, just because a smoker has endured past failed quit attempts, even multiple ones with multiple products, does not mean he or she can't succeed," explained Dr. Shiffman. "Our study suggests that the nicotine lozenge could serve as an effective option for these smokers, and we hope the availability of this new treatment will motivate them to try and quit again." The study was sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare, marketers of FDA-approved stop smoking products Nicorette® gum, NicoDerm® CQ(R) patch and Commit® lozenge. For more information about original, mint- and orange-flavored Nicorette gum, original and Clear® NicoDerm CQ patch, or the Commit lozenge, please visit http://www.quit.com.
SOURCE: GlaxoSmithKline
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