Smokers ‘twice as likely to quit’ with cytisine pills set to be available in UK, study finds
Cytisine pills are unavailable in a number of countries, including the US, but recently gained regulatory approval in the UK and will be available via prescription from 22 January.
Smokers hoping to kick the habit in 2024 are more than twice as likely to succeed if they take a pill that dampens nicotine cravings, according to a new study.
Smokers aiming to stub out and break their addiction to tobacco often turn to other products such as vapes, patches and gums.
The plant-based compound – a natural ingredient of cytisus laburnum seeds – has historically been used medically in eastern Europe, with studies going back to the 1960s.
It is unavailable in a number of countries, including the US, but recently gained regulatory approval in the UK and will be available via prescription from 22 January.
Out of the nearly 6,000 patients, the results showed that cytisine pills were more than twice as effective as the placebo at helping people quit smoking.
The study also looked at two randomised controlled trials that compared cytisine with nicotine replacement therapy, with “modest results” in favour of cytisine.
