The NHS is rolling out a once-a-day pill called Varenicline, which could save thousands of lives by helping people quit smoking.
More than 70,000 people die from smoking-related conditions like cancer each year.
Along with the 400,000 hospitalisations each year, it costs the NHS in England an estimated £2.6billion annually.
But quitting smoking can be a nightmare, with withdrawal symptoms like restlessness, irritability and trouble sleeping and concentrating making it harder to resist cravings.
Now people wanting to break free of the habit could avail of a drug that’s been hailed as a ‘game changer’ by NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard.
What is Varenicline?
Varenicline – made by pharmaceutical company Teva UK – tackles cravings and neutralises many of the symptoms associated with nicotine withdrawal.
Used alongside behavioural support, this prescription-only medication could help one in four people quit smoking for at least six months, according to the NHS.
This has the potential to help more than 85,000 people quit smoking annually over the next five years, preventing up to 9,500 smoking-related deaths in the process.
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.’
The pill was previously available on the NHS under the brand name Champix, before it was withdrawn in 2021 due to impurities.
A relaunched generic version has been approved as safe by the Medicines Health and Regulatory Authority (MHRA).
E-cigarettes may sometimes be offered as a two-week kit to kickstart the process off quitting.
Why is the NHS rolling out Varenicline?
Varenicline’s rollout has been announced just after the Tobacco and Vapes Bill was introduced in Parliament.
Part of an effort to curb smoking, the legislation will gradually raise the minimum age for buying tobacco, effectively banning it for anyone born after January 1, 2009.
Around six million people – 11.9% of people aged 18 or over – smoked cigarettes in the UK, according to Office for National Statistics data from 2023.
One in every two of those will die early as a result.
Health 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.’
Health charities and researchers have welcomed the rollout, including Dr Sarah Jackson, a principal research fellow at the UCL Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group.
She 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.’
Dr Ian Walker, executive director of policy at Cancer Research UK, added: ‘Along with funding for cessation services, making tools like this available will help more people stop smoking.
‘Around 160 cases of cancer are caused by tobacco every day in the UK, so it’s essential that action is taken to prevent people from smoking in the first place.’
Henry Gregg, director of external affairs at Asthma + Lung UK, said: ‘While the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will protect younger generations from the harms caused by this deadly addiction, the hundreds of thousands of current smokers who want to give up must also be supported.
‘It is incredibly difficult to quit smoking without help.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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