Chantix appears more effective than the nicotine patch in helping people quit smoking

Reuters HealthDay reported on August 15, 2008 on a study funded by Pfizer the maker of Chantix in the August, 2008 issue of the journal Thorax which found that Chantix worked better in helping smokers quit smoking than the patch. Here is a snippet from the Reuters article:

The anti-smoking drug Chantix appears more effective than the nicotine patch in helping people stop smoking, European and U.S. researchers report.

In a study of 746 smokers, the investigators found that 56 percent of those who took for Chantix for 12 weeks were cigarette-free during the last month of treatment. That compared with 43 percent of those who used a nicotine patch.

The study, funded by Chantix maker Pfizer Inc., is published in the medical journal Thorax.
Chantix, also known as varenicline, acts on a brain receptor affected by nicotine; the drug blocks some of nicotine's effects, while also providing a nicotine-like "buzz" to curb withdrawal symptoms.