NHS Rolls Out Varenicline
Thousands of lives could be saved thanks to the roll-out of an improved anti-smoking pill on the NHS in England, according to the head of the health service
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by Dave Cross
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Varenicline has been shown to work as well as vapes to help people stop smoking and be a more effective aid than nicotine-replacement gum or patches, the NHS said last week. The daily pill is now set to be offered by the NHS to tens of thousands of smokers each year in England to provide another option to help them quit.
The drug works by reducing cravings for nicotine and blocking its effect on the brain, while also helping with withdrawal symptoms such as feeling irritable or having difficulty sleeping.
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.
Alongside government efforts to create a smokefree generation, NHS Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard said the move to provide varenicline comes as part of a major NHS drive to make more effective treatment options available for patients while delivering over £500m in savings for the taxpayer.
It is estimated the use of varenicline on the NHS could help over 85,000 people try to stop smoking each year and its use over the next five years could prevent up to 9,500 smoking-related deaths, according to research by University College London.
The drug will now provide an additional treatment option for patients in England through NHS Stop Smoking Services, and other potential options are on the near horizon with a second drug (cytisine) currently under review by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
The treatment is being made available through a collaboration between NHS England and pharmaceutical company Teva UK, who have agreed to provide a new generic version of the treatment to the NHS.
A branded version of the smoking cessation pill (Champix®) was previously used but was withdrawn in 2021 as a precaution after an impurity was discovered – however the relaunched generic product has now been approved as safe by the Medicines Health and Regulatory Authority (MHRA).
Champix has been linked to suicide ideation and attempts.
In a speech at the NHS Providers annual conference, NHS Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard said: “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.”
Health and Social Care 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.”
Dr Sarah Jackson, Principal Research Fellow at the UCL Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group, said: “It is excellent news that varenicline is now available again in England. Large evidence reviews have consistently found it to be one of the most effective treatments for helping people to stop smoking. Smoking is incredibly harmful and the sooner people quit, the more healthy life expectancy they recover. The availability of varenicline can help more people to quit and avoid years of ill health and early death.”
Professor Nick Hopkinson, Professor of Respiratory Medicine, 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.
“People are most likely to quit successfully if they have a combination of counselling support and medication to relieve cravings and help break their tobacco dependence. They can get help by looking online for NHS Smokefree and should ask their healthcare provider about varenicline, especially if they have not managed to quit successfully using other medications like nicotine patches or gum in the past.”
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Photo by JOSHUA COLEMAN on Unsplash
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
