Chantix Does Not Increase Depression Risk? A Pfizer Study Says Yes

Faced with declining sales of its controversial Chantix quit-smoking pill, Pfizer has undertaken various educational and promotional efforts to revive its fortunes. And as part of the plan, the drugmaker funded a study that found people with a history of depression were no more likely to become depressed or have suicidal thoughts than those given a placebo. The study was designed to determine whether Chantix would help people who had been treated for depression quit smoking without worsening their depression and those findings were positive. Among those on Chantix, 35 percent did not smoke, compared with 15 percent of those in the placebo group. About three-quarters of the 525 participants regularly took antidepressants or anti-anxiety drugs. However, the study also found that, during the final 30 days of a three-month treatment phase, 15 people taking Chantix experienced suicidal thoughts, compared with 19 on a placebo and another person who exhibited suicidal behavior. At the outset, 88 people taking Chantix reported any lifetime history of suicidal ideation or behavior, compared with 89 of those on placebo (here is the study). The findings, which were published in The Annals of Internal Medicine, could be used to mitigate long-standing concerns about the extent to which Chantix causes psychiatric side effects, an issue that prompted Pfizer to add warnings that its pill is connected to suicidal thoughts and behavior after a spate of negative publicity (see this). A widely r...
Source: Pharmalot - Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: Source Type: blogs