Immediate Release: Friday 1 June,  2001

Newguidance for Zyban should restore confidence and save lives

Theanti-smoking drug Zyban will be a lifesaver, literally, for many smokers ­ andwe want to see it widely but carefully used. Over 400,000 people have now used Zyban in the UK and over 5 millionworldwide ­ and it at least doubles the chance of a successful quit.  We have been concerned that negativepublicity surrounding its first few months in the UK may be putting off smokerswho could benefit from it.  Overall thatcould have a negative effect on health if it means that more smokers continueto smoke.  New guidance from themedicines regulator should restore confidence and ensure the product isproperly and carefully used.

Clive Bates,Director of ASH said:

“For some people Zyban will be the drug that savesthem from cancer, heart disease, stroke or serious lung illness.  There is nothing more dangerous thancontinuing to smoke, and any drug that can help people quit should be promotedheavily and widely but carefully prescribed. The biggest risk, by a very longway, is continuing to smoke.

“Zyban is a powerful and complex drug and should beused with care. I hope that the new guidance will ensure that GPs and patientstreat it with respect and use it properly. 

ASHpointed out that although there are some serious side effects associated withZyban, these are rare if the drug is prescribed and used properly, and thatmany common drugs have a similar profile of potential side effects.  Bates said:

“The vast majority of Zyban users will not experienceany nasty side-effects. But there are risks associated with almost every drug,and for Zyban these have to be weighed against the huge benefits of stoppingsmoking.

“For some people use of Zyban will not be appropriate,but these smokers can still make use of nicotine replacement therapies, likepatches and gum.  It is always moreeffective to use some sort of pharmaceutical therapy to help with quitting.

Many ofthe press stories of people dying or becoming ill from use of Zyban are basedon a misunderstanding of the drug surveillance process, which is always usedwhen a new drug is introduced in the UK. The authorities monitor all adverse events among people using theproduct, but that does not mean these were caused by Zyban.  Given that Zyban users are smokers, thereare always going to be sudden deaths from heart attacks or strokes that willappear in the figures ­ but these may be due to smoking or to entirelydifferent causes, rather than to Zyban.

“It would be a health disaster if hype andmisunderstanding meant that people were put off Zyban for the wrongreasons.  It is important to retain asense of proportion about Zyban and recognise that any risks are small and thatthe potential benefits are huge.

[1] ASHdoes not offer medical advice… Zyban should be used under medicalsupervision.  New guidance from theMedicines Control Agency, Committee on Safety of Medicines: introduces newprecautions and contraindications, identifies potentially dangerous druginteractions, and stresses that careful adherence to the existing guidancerelating to seizure history is essential. (See officialguidance  ­ PDF on www.ash.org.uk/?cesstion ) 

ContactClive Bates: 020 7739 5902