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Varenicline: Where are we today?

Varenicline (Chantix) is a smoking cessation medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2006. Although scientific studies support the efficacy of Varenicline as a quit smoking aid, enough adverse events reports were submitted to the FDA highlighting cardiovascular and psychiatric side effects that a special black box warning was added to the medication in 2009. The news of potentially harmful side effects flooded the news media, making the public wary of the safety of using the medication to quit smoking. The scientific community disagrees on the safety, harmfulness and usefulness of Varenicline as a quit smoking aid.

In September of 2012, TRDRP convened a meeting of expert scientists to share their perspectives on Varenicline. The slides and review article discussed highlight the key scientific issues fueling the ongoing controversy.

Meeting program

OVERVIEW AND RATIONALE

Phillip Gardiner, Dr.P.H., TRDRP

PHARMACOLOGY, METABOLISM AND NEUROLOGY OF VARENICLINE

Neal Benowitz, M.D., UCSF

REVIEW OF THE CLINICAL LITERATURE ON PSYCHIATRIC CO-MORBIDITIES ASSOCIATED WITH VARENICLINE

Eden Evins, M.D., M.P.H., Harvard University

CARDIOVASCULAR SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS ASSOCIATED WITH VARENICLINE: SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

Sonal Singh, M.D., M.P.H., Johns Hopkins University

RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS ASSOCIATED WITH VARENICLINE: SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

Judith Prochaska, Ph.D., M.P.H., Stanford University

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