Soviet-era pill from Bulgaria helps smokers quit

[xg4bx]

A pill developed in Bulgaria during the Soviet era shows promise for helping millions of smokers cheaply and safely kick the habit, the first big study of it shows.

It could become a new weapon to combat smoking in poor countries, but it is unclear whether it will ever reach the market in the U.S. or Western Europe.

The drug, cytisine, is now used just in Eastern Europe, where smokers usually take the pill for three or four weeks. Generic versions cost as little as $5 to $17 a month, compared with about $100 for an eight-week supply of nicotine patches or about $300 for a 12-week supply of Pfizer Inc.'s Chantix pill — common treatments in rich countries to help smokers quit.


Soviet-era pill from Bulgaria helps smokers quit - Yahoo! News


oh, we'll get it in the u.s. just as soon as they can justify jacking up the price 1000%.


edit-only an 8.4% success rate? its better than the patch and chantix but its still not something i'd crow about...

 

[nanovapr]

I saw this today as well. I was preparing to post about it, but searched first, and found your post. Rather than link directly to some of the lessor-quality news sites, here is just a big general search for cytisine. Read through several of them, decide for yourself.

I know that vaping has not been studied by many mainstream organizations, I am curious what our success rate on smoking cessation is.

 

[Vocalek]

I saw this today as well. I was preparing to post about it, but searched first, and found your post. Rather than link directly to some of the lessor-quality news sites, here is just a big general search for cytisine. Read through several of them, decide for yourself.

I know that vaping has not been studied by many mainstream organizations, I am curious what our success rate on smoking cessation is.

Here is a list of research that has been conducted on e-cigarettes. http://www.casaa.org/files/Electronic-Cigarette-Research.pdf

The earliest population survey (Heavner, et al) found a 79% rate of former smokers among 303 e-cigarette users who responded.

The largest population survey was conducted by Etter & Bullen. Most respondents were members of on-line forums. They found that 77% of daily users of e-cigarettes were no longer smoking.

Dr. Siegel's study looked at first time buyers of a particular brand of e-cigarette. He found that 31% were no longer smoking.

So the answer is, it varies depending on conditions. I believe that using a high quality e-cigarettes coupled with coaching on nicotine levels, proper use, and maintenance of equipment yields the highest success rates. And these rates totally blow away the success rates of the approved "safe and effective" smoking cessation products.

 

[rothenbj]

Any study on E Cigs would have quite varying results based on demographics and methodology. If the study was developed using, as Elaine stipulated, high quality equipment, a wide range of E liquid and motivated long term smokers with support the number would more than likely be quite impressive.

If you recruit late teen, 20 something from the bar scene, give them cheap equipment that requires a lot of daily maintenance and limited flavors and you'd get results drastically different.

I was speaking with a thirty something gal about my screwdriver who offered to give me money to buy one for her. I told her I'd help her but suggested she spend some time on ECF asking questions before so. I've seen too many younger individuals jump in and not be willing or able (economically) to overcome the convenience of cigarettes.

 

[tommy2bad]

Able economically? But isn't it meant to be cheaper than analogs? I know I've saved a couple hundred in a few weeks, well 10 weeks, but at least the having cash to spend on e cigs I don't need but want, counts as more disposable income for me.
When I sucked on tobacco I aways held back on impulse buys 'cos I'd need the money for cigs.

 

[rothenbj]

Able economically? But isn't it meant to be cheaper than analogs? I know I've saved a couple hundred in a few weeks, well 10 weeks, but at least the having cash to spend on e cigs I don't need but want, counts as more disposable income for me.
When I sucked on tobacco I aways held back on impulse buys 'cos I'd need the money for cigs.

That's the funny thing. They really can start out pretty much for the cost of a carton of cigs but they don't look at it in those terms. Starting out when I did (and you can make the same mistakes today) I bought the wrong equipment the first time around and bought two of them because of my gf. I wasted around $200 before I really got started. Had I been on a tighter budget, that might have been the end of my journey. As it was, I never broke even until about month 4 or 5. However what I have in inventory has basically made my expense minimal since then. All additions plus the $6500 scoot I have sitting in the garage will have been paid for with cigarette money by the end of the year.

 

[Bill Godshall]

The abstract of the NEJM article is at
MMS: Error