BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- A federal judge in north Alabama has set dates for the first two trials to be held in thousands of civil lawsuits filed nationwide against pharmaceutical manufacturer Pfizer Inc. over Chantix, a drug to help people stop smoking.
"Pfizer stands by Chantix, which is an effective treatment option for adult smokers who want to quit, and has been approved in 100 countries and prescribed to 15 million smokers, including 8 million in the United States," according to a statement released in response to questions from The Birmingham News.
Federal judge sets dates for first two trials against Pfizer over Chantix stop-smoking drug | al.com
The FDA approved the drug for sale in May 2005.
In 2005, the number of adult smokers in the US was 45.1 million.
In 2010, the number of adult smokers in the US was 45.3 million.
At a purported annual death rate of 393,000, The 2005 number would have been reduced by 1,965,000 smokers.
45,100,000 Smoking Prevalence for 2005
- 1,965,000 Five years of dead smokers
43,135,000
What about new customers for cigarettes? We are told, "Each day, about 2,200 adults 18 years of age or older begin smoking on daily basis."
Medical Staff - Summa Western Reserve Hospital
365 * 5 years * 2200 = 4,015,000 New Smokers
43,135,000
+4,015,000 New Smokers joined the ranks
47,150,000 Total # smokers--If nobody quit
45,300,000 (subtract 2010 Adult Smoking Prevalence)
403,150 Total # who apparently did quit during that 5 year period
If only Chantix was used to achieve this, then the success rate equals 5%. 403,150 / 8,000,000
That's BEST CASE SCENARIO.
But what if some people did quit by using cold turkey, NRTs, or switched to e-cigarettes? Hmm... maybe Chantix isn't as effective as Pfizer would like us to believe it is.