Stop-smoking pill Chantix may cause heart attack, FDA warns

By: Ryan Jaslow
Topics: News ,; Heart

no smoking, chantix, myocardial infarction, cigarette

(Credit: istockphoto)

(CBS/AP) A popular smoking-cessation drug may raise the risk of heart trouble, the FDA says.

The agency is warning doctors and patients that Chantix (varenicline) has been linked to heart-related chest pain (angina) and heart attack. The warning comes after a study of 700 heart patients taking Chantix showed a small uptick in heart problems like myocardial infarction and chest pain, compared to patients taking a placebo drug.

Chantix, which is made by Pfizer, is a twice-daily tablet that curbs symptoms of nicotine withdrawal by binding to nicotine receptors in the brain.

The FDA will add the new warnings to the drug's label, and patients will get updated medication guides along with their pills. Pfizer will be required to analyze a large group of studies to further define the heart risk, the FDA said.

The company downplayed the news, saying in a written statement that "the overall cardiovascular event rates reported in the study were low."

Chantix has been used by millions of patients in the U.S. since its approval in May 2006, though sales have declined since 2008, when the drug was linked to depression and suicidal thoughts. It carries the serious "boxed warning" about those risks.

GlaxoSmithKline's smoking-cessation drug, Zyban, carries the same warning.

The agency stressed, however, that Chantix helps patients quit smoking and that this benefit "should be weighed against its potential risks when deciding to use the drug in smokers with cardiovascular disease."

Click here to read the FDA's warning in its entirety.

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by hornsnbr1 June 17, 2011 2:48 PM EDT: I had tried to quit many times over 30 years of smoking. I tried Chantix and it worked like a charm. It is truly a wonder drug. All reported side-effects are also known side-effects of any attempt to break from nicotine use. Chantix removes the physical craving so you can deal with the "habits" associated with smoking.; Reply to this comment


by jt92202 June 17, 2011 2:06 PM EDT: The warning comes after a study of 700 heart patients taking Chantix showed a small uptick in heart problems like myocardial infarction and chest pain, compared to patients taking a placebo drug

Well they are HEART PATIENTS meaning they already have heart problems, the stress of not smoking could be giving them a uptick in heart problems!!! I took Chantix to quit smoking in 2007 and I still don't smoke, I would recommend Chantix to anyone that wants to quit!! Just make sure you do it under the care of your doctor and call him if your feeling strange or having any problems! Sometimes you have to decide if the benefits out weigh the risks!!; Reply to this comment