Use of varenicline for 4-weeks prior to quitting (version 1.1)

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Effects of an extended period of varenicline use prior to quitting smoking on post-quitting urges to smoke

• Contact name

  Peter Hajek

• Sponsor organisation

  Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London

• Eudract number

  2008-004720-24

• ISRCTN Number

  Not Submitted

• Research summary

  <span style="color: Varenicline is an effective smoking cessation treatment. It is currently started one week before quitting (while people are still smoking) and clinical experience suggests that some patients lose interest in smoking and start to smoke less within a few days of starting this medicine. If rewards derived from cigarettes are diminished this may make quitting easier. Using varenicline for a longer before quitting might reduce craving and increase quitting. This study will recruit 100 smokers and randomly allocate them to take varenicline or placebo for 3 weeks prior to quitting. All participants will then receive standard treatment with varenicline (i.e. 1-week before and 12 weeks after their quit date). Urges to smoke, and other withdrawal symptoms, experienced of the study period will be compared between groups to see if this extended use strategy may be useful.

• REC name

  London - Hampstead Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  08/H0720/164

• Date of REC Opinion

  21 Jan 2009

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion