Research

Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence:  2008 update
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has issued a 2008 update to its guide on clinical practices for treating nicotine addiction. The guide is based on a review of effective, experimentally-validated cessation treatments and practices. This resource contains strategies and recommendations designed to assist health care clinicians, administrators, insurers, and purchasers in delivering and supporting effective treatments for tobacco use and dependence. The guide recommends the use of long-term and short-term cessation treatments including quitlines, counseling, and medications. Click here to view the guide. A variety of resources on the DHHS tobacco cessation website have also been updated based on the findings in the 2008 guide.

Doctors: Chantix benefits outweigh risks
Chantix is recommended by the new Department of Health and Human Services guidelines as one of the effective smoking cessation medication available, despite reports of side effects of depression, suicidal thoughts, and suicides by some users. In view of the drug’s psychological risks, the government guidelines caution doctors to carefully evaluate their patients and to prescribe Chantix with care. Although doctors are not entirely in agreement on who should be prescribed Chantix, most do agree that the DHHS guidelines underscore the importance of doctors’ awareness of drugs’ side effects. Click here for more information.

Nordic scientists start trial on nicotine vaccine
A Swedish pharmaceutical company is launching a phase II trial in three Nordic countries of a vaccine to cure nicotine addiction. The vaccine is being tested on 400 former smokers who are attempting to avoid relapsing, but the vaccine could eventually be used to help current smokers quit. The vaccine works by creating antibodies, which then bind to nicotine molecules, preventing nicotine from entering the brain. The presence of the antibodies blocks the quick high smokers experience after smoking a cigarette, and makes smoking less rewarding. A phase II trial of a similar nicotine vaccine found that those who achieved sufficiently high antibody levels from the vaccine had significantly higher 1-year quit rates than those who received a placebo. For more information, click here.

When doctors tell patients to quit smoking, they listen
Doctors can make a difference in their patients’ quit rates by taking the time to talk with them about smoking cessation, even for just a few minutes. According to a review of research studies from 1972-2007, even brief interventions could raise unassisted quit rates from 2-3% to between 4% and 7%. Given that about 80% of smokers make at least one visit to the doctor’s office in a given year, the time patients already spend at the doctor’s office is a prime opportunity to for physicians to bring up quitting, or to refer them to a cessation counselor or quitline. Click here to learn more. The research review was published in the Cochrane Library.

Kicking the habit may be contagious, study finds
A recent study showed that social relationships have a powerful effect on an individual’s smoking cessation behavior. The study looked at the social dynamics of smoking cessation, and found that when someone in a smoker’s social circle decides to quit, particularly a spouse, sibling, or coworkers the smoker is more likely to quit too. Interestingly, this phenomenon was observed regardless of the geographic distance between the individuals in a social group. The researchers also noted that well-connected people are more likely to successfully quit smoking than socially isolated people. Click here for a summary of the research, or click here to read the abstract of the research, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Reports

New law allows Arizona's Medicaid program to cover smoking cessation treatments (AZ)
Until recently, Arizona was one of seven states that did not provide Medicaid coverage for smoking cessation programs. Senate Bill 1418 will now provide the state’s Medicaid beneficiaries with FDA-approved nicotine replacement therapies and tobacco use medications. Considering 36% of Arizona’s Medicaid beneficiaries are smokers, this measure will not only save lives, but it will also save money. Arizona’s Medicaid program, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, spends 14% of its funds on smoking-related health problems. Under the new policy, the state will be eligible for Federal reimbursement of up to 67% of those costs. Click here for the full article.

New guidelines show smokers have more tools to quit than ever, but elected officials must do more to help
The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids issued a statement in response to the recent update of the DHHS clinical guidelines for treating tobacco dependence. The Tobacco Free Kids report asserts that although the DHHS guide focuses on standards for clinical practice, policymakers must support these guidelines in order for the standards to be achieved. This statement guides federal and state leaders, as well as employers, on what needs to be done to ensure that tobacco cessation treatment is accessible to all smokers. The recommendations range from working toward FDA regulation of tobacco, to securing funding for tobacco cessation programs, and aligning insurance coverage with evidence-based treatment practices. Click here to read the statement.

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