Thursday 12 January 2012

This is what they push to help you stop smoking...

****

...and it's pretty scary:

Varenicline, meanwhile, already carries warnings, as a result of Health Canada advisories issued in 2008, 2009 and 2010, concerning potential serious neuropsychiatric adverse events such as depression, agitation, hostility, behavior changes, suicidal ideation and suicide

All that plus:

The meta-analysis of data from 14 double-blind randomized clinical trials found that people taking varenicline had a 72% higher risk of adverse heart-related events than those on placebo.

So when your Doctor tries to prescribe you Champix (what Pfizer call this drug in the UK), ask him or her whether they really think it's safe.

....

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

2006
"Chantix sales could help Pfizer on its comeback trail, as it tries to fill its impending, multibillion-dollar sales vacuum that will result from some of its older blockbusters losing patent protection.

This year, Pfizer's patent is expiring on Zoloft, the antidepressant with $3.3 billion in 2005 sales, and in 2007 it loses blood pressure treatment Norvasc, with $4.7 billion in 2005 sales.
Also, the arthritis painkiller Bextra from the same drug class as Merck's (up $0.01 to $34.68, Research) beleaguered Vioxx, was pulled off the market in 2005 because of health risks, wiping out $1.3 billion in annual sales."
http://money.cnn.com/2006/05/11/news/companies/pfizer/

2007
Anti-smoking 'wonder pill' to be given on the NHS

"Champix works on the 'pleasure centre' of the brain, reducing the feeling of satisfaction smokers get from a cigarette and relieving cravings and other withdrawal symptoms."
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23398708-anti-smoking-wonder-pill-to-be-given-on-the-nhs.do


2008
Smokers urged to keep taking pills...

"A LEADING health campaigner is urging people not to shun an anti-smoking “wonder drug” at the centre of a health probe."

Ailsa Rutter, director of Fresh — the campaign for a Smoke Free North East — said: “We are talking about a fairly unhealthy section of the population anyway . . . one in two will die because of smoking."
http://www.sundaysun.co.uk/news/tm_headline=smokers-urged-to-keep-taking-pills&method=full&objectid=20316976&siteid=50081-name_page.html


2011
"Adverse event data from the third quarter of 2010 show the risks of serious psychiatric side effects of Chantix, the smoking-cessation drug, were previously underestimated because Pfizer apparently failed to correctly submit hundreds of these episodes to the FDA, according to an analysis by the Institute for Safe Medicine Practices, a non-profit that regulary reviews the FDA adverse event database.

Notably, the ISMP found 150 cases of completed suicides, some of which dated back to 2007, that were not reported promptly as suicides within 15 days as required.

Instead, the drugmaker apparently coded the suicides as “expected adverse events” among 26,000 such events, and added these to a quarterly periodic report, which is how less important, non-serious side effects are sent to the FDA."
http://www.pharmalot.com/2011/05/pfizer-did-not-report-chantix-side-effects-correctly/

I think we get the picture.

Anonymous said...

As long as Drug companies and the Media are making millions on the
anti smoking bandwagon payola the hysteria will continue.
No use waiting for the Cameron,Clegg,Milliband farce to speak up,they are not allowed to
even mention their hidden policy
direction deciders.
Representaive democracy is in it's death throes,time to give it a final shove for all our sakes and
future generations.

The Free Corps

Anonymous said...

Safer still ,keep smoking.
Health risks are vastly exaggerated.
Especially if you do not smoke much.
Strong evidence to suggest life long smokers more likely to get sick after stopping too.

Anonymous said...

From Dave Atherton

Say no more:

"Results
Overall we identified 3,249 reported cases of suicidal/self-injurious behavior or depression, 2,925 (90%) for varenicline, 229 (7%) for bupropion, and 95 (3%) for nicotine replacement. Compared to nicotine replacement, the disproportionality results (OR (95% CI)) were varenicline 8.4 (6.8–10.4), and bupropion 2.9 (2.3–3.7)."

"Conclusions

Varenicline shows a substantial, statistically significant increased risk of reported depression and suicidal/self-injurious behavior. Bupropion for smoking cessation had smaller increased risks. The findings for varenicline, combined with other problems with its safety profile, render it unsuitable for first-line use in smoking cessation."

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0027016

Pat Nurse MA said...

Big Tobacco is Big Pharma which works in co-operation with ASH et al.

http://patnurseblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/future-for-smokers.html

Sorry - but the alleged 80,000 people killed each year in Britain because of tobacco from a population of 60 million, does not justify the attack on smokers who want to be left alone.

I still don't know how they distinguish between the 80,000 who die of "smoking related" illneses and the 80,000 who die from passive car fumes.

There is so much more going on here and it has sod all to do with health.