A popular anti-smoking drugs used by people to quit may increase the risk of heart attack, stroke and other serious cardiovascular problems, warned doctors. A review by an international team of more than dozen studies into Champix drug found that smokers who tried to quit using drug were prone to be hospitalized with heart problems than those taking dummy pills.
Champix was introduced in 2006 and prescribed about one million times in the UK alone last year. The drug works on the brain to dull cravings for nicotine. It also carts off the pleasure of having a cigarette. But Dr Yoon Loke from University of East Anglia believes it may cause the heart to beat out of step, raising the risk of heart attacks.
It may also cause nightmares and insomnia, which heaps stress on the heart. The study review was carried out by researchers from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Maryland, and the University of East Anglia, UK. They looked at fourteen studies into cardiovascular problems in people taking the drug.
Among all of, four thousand nine hundred and eight people taking Champix, fifty-two people suffered cardiovascular problems like arrhythmia-abnormal heart rhythm, in comparison to twenty seven of the three thousand three hundred and eight taking dummy pills. Champix has previously been associated with psychiatric problems and suicidal thoughts.
A warning on the information leaflet of the drug has already been place by the US Food and Drug Administration, about the risk of suicidal thoughts and it is lately added as a second additional cardiovascular risk to people who already have heart disease. The review of study was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
A spokesman for Pfizer producer of the drug, stated that the company is disagreed with the interpretation of the data in the study, which it said had limitations. Champix is a significant treatment choice for smokers who want to quit. Patients should consult with their GPs to determine what medications are right for them, he added.
People should be concerned, they do not require Chantix to quit and this is another reason to avoid Chantix all together, explained Dr Sonal Singh from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Quit smoking is the single most significant thing people can do to improve their heart health. People taking Champix should not stop using it without speaking to their GP, stated Doireann Maddock from the British Heart Foundation.
The UK’s drugs watchdog, MHRA (the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Products Agency) said that it keeps the safety of Champix under close review and any novel statistics will be evaluated carefully.