Every day, new stop smoking pills are emerging to help smokers quit. Actually, there is a new prescription stop smoking pill that’s designed to do just that. Pfizer Malaysia recently launched its new smoking cessation pill, Varenicline, a breakthrough non-nicotine oral medication. It has a novel mechanism of action which helps smokers quit smoking by providing dual benefits.

Varenicline is designed for to activate the nicotinic receptor and reduce the severity of the smoker’s craving and the withdrawal symptoms from nicotine. Moreover, if a person smokes a cigarette while receiving treatment, it has the potential to diminish the sense of satisfaction associated with smoking. This assists the attempting quitter by helping prevent the cycle of nicotine dependence.

Nicotine dependence makes quitting smoking very difficult and is one of the main reasons many smokers do not succeed in their attempts to quit. When smokers inhale smoke from a cigarette, nicotine reaches the brain within seconds and binds to nicotinic receptors, which activates the reward pathway in brain circuitry. This stimulates the pleasure centre in the brain.

The rewards or pleasurable effects reinforce a smokers’ physical dependence on the nicotine contained in cigarettes.

Smokers then become accustomed to certain levels of nicotine in their systems and a drop in these nicotine levels results in a cycle of craving and uncomfortable withdrawal. Dr. Wong Kok Seng, Medical Director, Pfizer Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, said: "Smoking harms nearly every organ in the body and is a preventable cause of death. This innovative medication will now help many smokers end their nicotine dependence and enjoy healthier and happier lives." Varenicline also demonstrated a favorable safety and tolerability profile in studies of almost 4,000 smokers.

"These results suggest varenicline is a significant advancement in the management of smoking cessation. It is never too late to quit smoking. People who quit smoking before the age of 50 have one-half the risk of dying of a smoking-related illness in the next 15 years compared to those who continue smoking. Smokers who are unable to quit on their own should consider seeking medical support and treatment," added Dr Wong.

As many other drugs, Varenicline has side effects such as nausea, vivid dreams, headaches and vomiting."As everyone knows, it is extremely difficult to quit smoking," reported Dr Wong.For example, less than 7% of smokers who tried to quit on their own achieve more than one year of abstinence. In fact, most smokers begin smoking again within a few days of attempting to quit.

Unlike other smoking cessation solutions that work only on controlling the withdrawal symptoms, varenicline reduces craving and withdrawal symptoms as well as the smoker’s sense of satisfaction derived from smoking, according to a study.