08 July 2011
Washington, DC USA
People who take help of anti–smoking drugs to kick the butt are 72 per cent more prone to serious heart attacks than those who take sham medications, a new study led by an Indian–origin scientist has claimed.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in the US found that healthy and middle–aged smokers who take varenicline, the widely–used smoking cessation drug on the market, had a 72 per cent increased risk of being hospitalised with a heart attack or other serious heart problems.
“People want to quit smoking to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease but in this case they’re taking a drug that increases the risk for the very problems they’re trying to avoid,” said lead researcher Sonal Singh, an assistant professor of internal medicine at Johns Hopkins.
In the study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, Singh and his colleagues analysed 14 doubleblind, randomised, controlled clinical trials involving more than 8,200 healthy people who received either varenicline or a placebo. Varenicline made by Pfizer is sold in many countries including India under the brand–name Chantix.
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