The NHS will soon introduce a daily pill to help individuals quit smoking, with hopes that it could save thousands of lives each year. The pill, called varenicline, targets nicotine cravings while alleviating withdrawal symptoms like irritability and sleep disturbances.
Amanda Pritchard, NHS England’s Chief Executive, described the pill as a “game-changer” during her address at the NHS Annual Conference and Exhibition in Liverpool. She emphasized the ongoing public health battle against smoking, which remains a leading cause of illness, from lung disease to increased risks of heart attacks, cancer, stroke, and diabetes.
When combined with behavioral support, varenicline helps around one in four smokers quit for at least six months, according to NHS England. The drug could assist more than 85,000 people annually in giving up smoking over the next five years, preventing up to 9,500 smoking-related deaths.
The pill, produced by Teva UK, is a generic form of the brand-name drug Champix, which was withdrawn in 2021 due to concerns over a potentially carcinogenic impurity. However, the new version of varenicline has been deemed safe by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
Common side effects of varenicline include nausea, vomiting, sleep disturbances, and digestive issues, though serious mood changes are rare. Alongside varenicline, another drug, cytisine, is currently under review by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Cytisine mimics the effects of nicotine in the brain, helping to curb cravings.
Dr. Ian Walker, executive director of policy at Cancer Research UK, highlighted the importance of this treatment. “Around 160 cancer cases are caused by tobacco every day in the UK,” he said. “Providing accessible tools like this is crucial for reducing smoking rates and improving public health.”
