A drug which is claimed to be almost twice as effective as nicotine patches in helping people to give up smoking has been licensed by the Irish Medicines Board.
The drug, Zyban, is available only on prescription. It was originally manufactured as an anti-depressant but it was noticed that some of its users were giving up smoking.
The availability of the drug was welcomed by consultant respiratory physician Dr Luke Clancy. But he warned that it was "not the answer to all our problems".
A study funded by Glaxo Wellcome, the company which manufactures the drug, found that 30 per cent of those taking Zyban gave up smoking, compared with only 16 per cent of those who used nicotine patches.
Zyban, however, could have side-effects which include, in a small number of cases, seizures. Other side-effects included dry mouth and insomnia.
The exact role which the drug could play in helping people to give up smoking would only emerge over time, Dr Clancy said. But he welcomed the interest in developing therapies to enable people to give up.
In the UK, Zyban costs the NHS approximately Stg £43 per user per month.
Weblink:http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9903/03/smoking.treatment/index.html
(CNN report on research into Zyban)