chantix1After just two years on the market, the quit smoking pill – smoking cessation -product Chantix has beaten the record in the most serious side effects, says the report, but Pfizer rejects proven causal connection.

Many people are using the quit smoking pill Chantix, when they get medical help to stop smoking.

Now a U.S. investigation, shows that there are indeed a great many side effects associated with using Chantix according to Swedish Läkemedel world. The article is based on a report of May 2008 from the American non-profit organization Institute for Safe Medication Practice.

Quit Smoking Medication

According to researchers, there is never actually registered so many side effects of a drug after such a short time on the market.

Of the 3,000 reports of serious side effects that researchers have reviewed, are reports of patients who lost consciousness while driving, while others experienced sudden muscle spasms.

Besides the side effects of accident reports, there are mountains of reports of vision loss, changes in heart rhythms, seizures, severe skin reactions and diabetes.

1000 side effects reactions in the quarter

Each quarter researchers examines the side effect register to see what medicines have more side effects.

Most drugs are about five serious side effect events per quarter. Chantix was last year record, by having more than 1,000 reports in a single quarter.

One of the authors behind the American study, Curt Furberg, estimates that from 40,000 people in the U.S. alone are affected by the severe adverse reactions to the product.

Pilots are prohibited to use Chantix

Earlier the pilots in the U.S. Air Force has recommended the use of Chantix, when they were with the bad smoking habit. But after this study publication, prohibits the Air Force now its pilots and traffic controllers to-use pill.

Medicines Agency in the United States, the FDA says that the report is a signal that there must now be carried out new studies on the product.

The Producer defends its product

According to the researchers behind the study for Pfizer knows the many serious side effects, because many of the reports in the study come from them.

Pfizer comments in a message on its website surveys. It states:

“The authors acknowledge, however, that not in the light of these adverse reaction reports can see that there is a causal link between the use of Chantix and the reported adverse events – because most of those involved patients used other drugs while the use of Chantix. ”

No drugs without side effects

Pharmaceutical company also lays down that it is impossible to make drugs without side effects.

“But the goal is obviously to create products with so few and mild side effects as possible. This also applies to Pfizer’s smoking cessation agent Chantix. And most users of Chantix experienced no significant side effects. But anyone experiencing side effects. It may be in the form of migraine headaches, sleeping difficulties and nausea or fatigue and dizziness. There may also be uncommon in the form of, for example, in vision, neck pain, muscle tension, tremor and difficulty speaking. ”

In the United States alone is expected that 3.5 million people have used the quit smoking pill since its launch in 2006.