‘Ozempic for smoking' pill that ‘significantly improves quit rate' to be rolled out on the NHS – are you eligible?
A PILL dubbed the 'Ozempic for smoking' is available again in the UK and back on the NHS after years away from pharmacy shelves.
Drug firm Pfizer announced its drug varenicline, known as Champix, is back in supply.
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An estimated eight million Brits smoke tobacco (stock image)
Credit: Alamy
It was pulled in 2021 due to a potentially hazardous problem with the ingredients, which has now been fixed.
Experts have welcomed its return as it is regarded as the best way to quit.
Professor Nick Hopkinson, lung disease expert at Imperial College London, said: 'Varenicline is the most effective smoking cessation medication, so the fact that it has not been available for the last few years has been a real problem.'
Works like a fat jab
The daily pill works by attaching to the same receptors in the brain that would be targeted by nicotine.
This means it reduces cravings as if someone has just had a cigarette, and also blocks the receptor so nicotine does not work, preventing the 'reward' feeling if they do smoke.
That works the same way as weight loss injections which block hormone receptors to prevent hunger.
The drug will be available through NHS Stop Smoking clinics or through a GP surgery, and will be offered alongside counselling and other quitting support.
Patients may be asked to try other ways of stopping smoking before they are offered medication.
Around eight million people in the UK smoke tobacco and it is the leading cause of cancer.
Dr Andy McEwen, chief of the National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training, said: 'The availability of this medication offers people a stop smoking aid that may significantly improve their chances of quitting.'
The NHS now plans to roll it out through official stop smoking services.
People can refer themselves for help online via the NHS website.
The clinics also began using a second pill, named cytisine, last year.
Both have been proven to be more effective than nicotine patches or gum, and equally as good as vaping.
Health chiefs announced in November that clinics would use the pill again and experts at University College London estimated it could save 9,500 lives by 2030.
Former NHS chief Amanda Pritchard said at the time: 'This simple daily pill could be a game-changer.'
Professor Hopkinson, also medical director of the charity Asthma + Lung UK, added: 'Quitting smoking is the best thing you can do for your health.'
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