Smokers Offered One of Best-Ever Odds of Quitting

MEDIA RELEASE

Thursday 2 August 2007 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New Ground Breaking Medication Offers Kiwi Smokers One of the Best-Ever Odds of Quitting

Kiwi smokers throughout New Zealand now have access to a ground-breaking new product called CHAMPIX® (varenicline) which offers them one of their best-ever odds for breaking their addiction to nicotine.

CHAMPIX® is a non-nicotine prescription-only medication that has a unique dual mechanism of action and has been developed exclusively by Pfizer Inc as an aid to smoking cessation in adults over 18 years of age.

Two international clinical trials suggest that a 12-week course of treatment with CHAMPIX® increases the odds of quitting for motivated quitters by approximately four times over a placebo and approximately two times compared with another leading product, Bupropion (also known as Zyban®).

The product was registered in New Zealand in April 2007. CHAMPIX® was launched in the United States in July 2006 and the European Union in December 2006 and has assisted an estimated 1.5 million smokers in the US alone with their efforts to break their addiction

Pfizer Portfolio Manger, Don Budge said that the company was proud to be launching the product in New Zealand in 2007 and that it represented a major step forward for the country’s public health.

“Smoking is estimated to kill between 4,300 and 4,700 New Zealanders a year, and reduces average life expectancy by ten years,” Mr Budge said. “Launching CHAMPIX® is a very important development for Pfizer New Zealand and for smoking cessation efforts in New Zealand, and it offers smokers wishing to quit an effective new therapeutic approach.

Mr Budge said that CHAMPIX®’s unique dual mechanism of action was what made it so effective.

“CHAMPIX® simultaneously reduces the reward from smoking and combats the cravings and withdrawal symptoms that smokers report,” he said. “The former is particularly important, and some smokers taking CHAMPIX® will even stop smoking prior to their quit date because they find smoking less enjoyable.”

Pfizer representatives have briefed the Ministry of Health and leading smoking cessation organisations including ASH New Zealand and Te Reo Mārama on CHAMPIX®. The company has also provided information on the product to all GPs and other key health providers in New Zealand to ensure that they have information in advance of potential enquiries. CHAMPIX® will retail for approximately $200 per month, significantly less than the cost of smoking one packet of cigarettes per day over the same period. The standard course of CHAMPIX® is three months.

Mr Budge cautioned that CHAMPIX® may not work for everyone. “For many smokers quitting is a major decision that should be taken seriously and, where possible, with the benefit of medical advice. In order to increase the chances of quitting smoking with CHAMPIX® patients need to be motivated to quit and it is recommended that they receive counselling or be enrolled in a support programme. However, for the motivated quitter, the research data suggests that CHAMPIX® is a highly-effective and safe product, and makes quitting smoking easier and more likely to be long-term.”

The product’s main side effect is nausea, experienced by approximately 30% of users in clinical trials, although discontinuation rates due to adverse events are comparable to placebo. If you want to quit smoking ask your doctor or pharmacist for the available therapeutic options and about the various cautions and possible side effects. Champix requires a prescription from your doctor.

ENDS

Attached: Champix Consumer Information

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CHAMPIX® (varenicline tartrate) is a prescription medicine used as an aid to smoking cessation. Consult your doctor to see if CHAMPIX is right for you. Do not take this medicine if you are pregnant, if you are under 18, using other stop smoking medicines, or have an allergy to the active or other tablet ingredients. Precautions: people with kidney disease or those undergoing haemodialysis treatment, a history of mental illness, a history of repeated fits or convulsions, or women who are breastfeeding.
Possible side effects include nausea, headache, difficulty in sleeping, abnormal dreams, dizziness, weakness, constipation, indigestion, bloating, dry mouth, vomiting, increased appetite and changes in taste. Always
read the label and use strictly as directed. If you have side effects see your doctor. You will need to pay for this medicine and normal doctor’s fees will apply. Champix is being monitored on the intensive medicines monitoring programme Contains varenicline 0.5mg & 1mg. Further medicine
details are available at www.medsafe.govt.nz. Pfizer New Zealand LTD PO Box 3998, Auckland. Level 3 Pfizer House, 14 Normanby Rd, Mt Eden Auckland. TAPS Approval No: NA 2371

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