The UK’s NHS to roll out free antismoking pill. Will it work?
The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) is rolling out a free antismoking pill called varenicline for British smokers. Research has shown that varenicline is more effective than traditional nicotine-replacement therapies such as gum or patches.
Approximately 85,000 smokers will be eligible to receive the antismoking medication which will be provided alongside “behavioural support” programmes aimed at helping people to quit smoking, the NHS announced earlier this week.
Research conducted by University College London suggests that it might prevent approximately 9,500 smoking-related deaths within the next five years.
“This simple daily pill could be a game-changer for people who want to quit smoking and is another vital step in shifting our NHS further towards prevention,” stated NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard.
So, how does the new drug work and could it help to prevent serious, smoking-related diseases?
How many people smoke in the UK?
According to a 2023 Annual Population Survey of households conducted in the United Kingdom, roughly 11.9 percent of adults aged 18 years or over (around 6 million people) are current smokers.
The number of adult smokers by country within the UK are as follows:
- England 11.6 percent
- Wales 12.6 percent
- Scotland 13.5 percent
- Northern Ireland 13.3 percent
What is the drug the NHS plans to use?
This is a new version of an older drug called Champix. The new rollout is part of a wider UK initiative to decrease the number of smokers in the region and produce overall cost savings to the NHS.
In 2006, Champix, made by Pfizer, was the brand name for this antismoking medication in the UK market but it was withdrawn in October 2021 due to concerns about its content of nitrosamine, a known carcinogen.
Following the discovery of nitrosamine impurities in the drug, which exceeded acceptable limits established by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), a recall was issued for community pharmacies and wholesalers.
How does it work?
Varenicline works as a “nicotine receptor agonist”, a substance which activates a specific type of receptor in the brain. This agonist works in the same region of the brain as nicotine.
The drug decreases the effect that nicotine has on the brain while also reducing cravings and preventing withdrawal symptoms. This gives patients a controlled way to stimulate these receptors without actually using nicotine.
Professional clinicians recommend taking varenicline as part of a broader stop-smoking programme which would include education and counselling to assist the patient to give up smoking completely.
Clinicians recommend taking the antismoking pill for between 12 and 24 weeks to successfully eliminate nicotine cravings.
According to information provided by the NHS website, one to two tablets should taken daily, and smokers should start taking the tablets one or two weeks before they try to quit smoking.
