Title: “Twice As Likely to Quit Smoking: Find Out How With Cytisine Pill”

Smokers Ready to Quit Have Twice the Chance of Success with Cytisine Pill

Smoking is one of the hardest addictions to break, but those who want to quit now have a remarkable new form of assistance: cytisine, a natural extract from laburnum tree seeds. The small pill is now approved in the UK, and evidence suggests it is more than twice as effective as placebos and similar to other existing forms of smoking cessation medication, such as varenicline, or Champix, and nicotine replacement therapies.

What is Cytisine?

Cytisine, a naturally-occuring phytoalkaloid found in certain trees, has been used in central and eastern Europe for decades as a highly effective form of smoking cessation. It is taken orally as a pill, though it is unavailable in most countries, the US included, until recently. Approval in the UK has made it available for purchase, though it is currently limited to prescription.

Cytisine is More Than Twice as Effective as Placebo

In a study conducted by researchers in Argentian, 12 randomised controlled trials were compared for their rates of success for smokers trying to quit while taking cytisine, a placebo, or other smoking cessation drugs such as varenicline and nicotine replacement therapies. The trials found that smokers were more than twice as successful in quitting while taking cytisine as they were taking a placebo. In addition, the review showed that cytisine was similar in success to varenicline and may even be more effective than nicotine replacement therapy. The findings of the study were published in the journal Addiction.

Smoking’s Effect on Health in the UK

The approval of cytisine in the UK is welcome news; although smoking has declined greatly in the country over the past five decades, it remains the leading preventable cause of illness and death, claiming approximately 100,000 lives a year. A major study conducted by Oxford University also revealed that e-cigarettes, varenicline, and cytisine are all equally effective in helping people quit for six months or more.

Making Cytisine More Accessible and Affordable

Currently, cytisine is as an expensive form of medication, costing £115 for a 25-day course of 100 pills. However, its effectiveness as a smoking cessation aid should make it a cost-effective solution in helping to reduce the number of preventable deaths, Hazel Cheeseman of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) asserts. Local decision-making on whether to include cytisine in stop-smoking services may be impacted by the cost, though Robert West, professor of health psychology and director of the Cancer Research UK health Behaviour Research Centre, suggests that the expense should decrease as the market develops and the supplier recoups its outlay in marketing approval.