New drug could help smokers quit and ease withdrawal symptoms, MGH study suggests

BOSTON - There may soon be a new option for people trying to kick their cigarette habit.

Smoking remains a leading preventable cause of death worldwide, yet there hasn't been a new medication approved by the FDA to help people quit for almost two decades but that may soon change.

A plant-based compound called cytisinicline can bind to nicotinic receptors in the brain, reducing the urge to smoke and reducing withdrawal symptoms.

And the first large clinical trial in the U.S., led by a researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital, has found the drug is effective and well-tolerated. They found that 21 percent of participants who used the drug for 12 weeks were not smoking six months later, compared to only four percent of those given a placebo.

In:
• Health
• Massachusetts General Hospital
• Cigarette

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

Twitter Facebook