Daily tablet Varenicline reduces cravings for nicotine by blocking effect on the brain and cuts withdrawal symptoms like feeling irritable and difficulty sleeping
The NHS is rolling out a “game changing” stop smoking pill which it says could save thousands of lives.
The daily tablet called Varenicline reduces cravings for nicotine and blocks its effect on the brain, while also helping with withdrawal symptoms such as feeling irritable or having difficulty sleeping.
It has been shown to work as well as vapes to help people quit and be more effective than nicotine-replacement gum or patches.
When used alongside behavioural support, such as counselling, the treatment has been shown to help around one in four people to stop smoking for at least six months.
The rollout for England will be announced by NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard in a speech at NHS Providers’ annual conference in Liverpool today.
She is expected to say: “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.
“Smoking remains one of the biggest public health issues facing the NHS and has devastating impacts on the body – from the lungs, to the heart, blood and brain, while also increasing risk of cancer, diabetes and stroke.
“Alongside supporting the Government’s ambition to create the first smoke-free generation, we are giving current smokers the tools they need to quit – with proven treatment options like this, alongside specialist care, helping to save thousands of lives and the NHS millions of pounds in treatment costs.”
Varenicline will be offered the pill via council-led stop smoking services and smokers wanting to quit will be able to self-refer via the NHS Better Health website.
After options are discussed in consultation with a doctor or pharmacist, NHS England forecasts it will be used by at least 85,000 smokers each year to try and quit, which will increase over time. Analysis by University College London shows this kind of takeup could prevent up to 9,500 smoking-related deaths over the next five years.
Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, said: “Prevention is better than cure. The rollout of this pill can save the NHS millions of pounds, save appointments to help other patients be seen faster, and save lives.
“Taken alongside our tobacco and vapes bill, the government and NHS are building a healthy society to help power a healthy economy.”
Around one in eight adults in the UK smoke – around six million people.
Smoking is still the leading cause of preventable illness and death. Around 160 cases of cancer are caused by tobacco every day in Britain.
Each year the NHS spends around £2.5billion on treating health issues caused by smoking including cancers and a host of respiratory conditions. It increases the risk of many more health conditions, such as strokes, diabetes, heart disease, stillbirth and dementia.
Dr Ian Walker, policy director at Cancer Research UK, said: “Smoking is the biggest cause of cancer in the UK and stopping completely is the best thing you can do for your health. It’s great news that the NHS is making varenicline an option for people trying to quit.”
Varenicline – made by pharmaceutical company Teva UK – is the generic version of a previously used branded pill called Champix, which was withdrawn in 2021 after an impurity was discovered. Before it was withdrawn 85,000 people a year were using it to try and quit.
The relaunched version of Varenicline has been approved as safe by the Medicines Health and Regulatory Authority (MHRA).
Prof Nick Hopkinson, expert in respiratory medicine at Imperial College London, said: “This is fantastic news for people who smoke and their families.
“Varenicline is the most effective smoking cessation medication, so the fact that it has not been available for the last few years has been a real problem. We know that quitting smoking is the best thing anyone who smokes can do to improve their health and the health of people around them, especially children and young people.”
Varenicline’s rollout comes after the Tobacco and Vapes Bill was introduced in Parliament.
The legislation will prevent anyone born after January 1 2009 from legally smoking by gradually raising the age at which tobacco can be bought.
It will introduce restrictions on vaping, as well as extended indoor smoking ban powers to some outdoor areas, including outside hospitals and in children’s playgrounds.
Henry Gregg, director at Asthma + Lung UK: “A new stop smoking pill to help people quit smoking is a welcome move. While the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will protect younger generations from the harms caused by this deadly addiction, the hundreds of thousands of current smokers who want to give up must also be supported. It is incredibly difficult to quit smoking without help.”
Another drug called cytisine, which tricks the brain into thinking someone has had a cigarette by attaching to the same receptors that nicotine does, is currently being reviewed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
