the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews-Tabex1084 ftp

the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews-Tabex1084 ftp

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  EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE n PrescriberJuly/August 2013 z 21prescriber.co.uk Pharmacological interventions for smoking cessation: an overview and network meta- analysis Objectives Smoking is the leading preventable cause of illness and premature death worldwide. Some medications have been proven to help people to quit, with three licensed for this purpose in Europe and the USA: nico- tine replacement therapy (NRT), bupro- pion (Zyban) and varenicline (Champix). Cytisine (a treatment pharmacologi- cally similar to varenicline) is also licensed for use in Russia and some of the former socialist economy countries. Other therapies, including nortriptyline, have also been tested for effectiveness. This meta-analysis looked at how NRT, bupropion and varenicline compare with placebo and with each other in achieving long-term abstinence (six months or longer); how the remaining treatments compare with placebo in achieving long-term abstinence; and how the risks of adverse and serious adverse events (SAEs) compare between the treat- ments and if there are instances where the harms may outweigh the benefits. Search and selection strategy The overview covered NRT, antidepres- sants (bupropion and nortriptyline), nico- tine receptor partial agonists (varenicline and cytisine), anxiolytics, selective type 1 cannabinoid receptor antagonists (rimon- abant), clonidine, lobeline, dianicline, mecamylamine, Nicobrevin, opioid antag- onists, nicotine vaccines and silver acetate. The outcome for benefit was con- tinuous or prolonged abstinence at least six months from the start of treatment. Main results The authors identified 12 treatment-spe- cific reviews. The analyses covered 267 studies, involving 101 804 participants. Both NRT and bupropion were superior to placebo (odds ratio – OR 1.84; 95% CI 1.71–1.99, and 1.82; 1.60–2.06 respec- tively). Varenicline also increased the odds of quitting compared with placebo (OR 2.88; 2.40–3.47). Head-to-head comparisons between bupropion and NRT showed equal effi- cacy (OR 0.99; 0.86–1.13). Varenicline was superior to single forms of NRT (OR 1.57; 1.29–1.91) and to bupropion (OR 1.59; 1.29–1.96). Varenicline was more effective than nicotine patch (OR 1.51; 1.22–1.87), nicotine gum (OR 1.72; 1.38–2.13) and ‘other’ NRT (inhaler, spray, tablets, lozenges; OR 1.42; 1.12–1.79), but was not more effective than combination NRT (OR 1.06; 0.75–1.48). Combination NRT also outperformed single formulations. The four categories of NRT performed similarly against each other, apart from ‘other’ NRT, which was marginally more effective than NRT gum (OR 1.21; 1.01–1.46). Cytisine (a nicotine receptor partial agonist) returned positive findings (risk ratio – RR 3.98; 2.01–7.87), without sig- nificant adverse events or SAEs. Across the 82 included and excluded bupropion trials, the meta-analysis esti- mate of six seizures in the bupropion arms versus none in the placebo arms was lower than the expected rate (1:1000) at about 1:1500. SAE meta- analysis of the bupropion studies demon- strated no excess of neuropsychiatric (RR 0.88; 0.31–2.50) or cardiovascular events (RR 0.77; 0.37–1.59). SAE meta-analysis of 14 varenicline trials found no difference between the varenicline and placebo arms (RR 1.06; 0.72–1.55), and subgroup analyses detected no significant excess of neuropsychiatric events (RR 0.53; 0.17–1.67) or of cardiac events (RR 1.26; 0.62–2.56). Nortriptyline increased the chances of quitting (RR 2.03; 1.48–2.78). Neither nortriptyline nor bupropion were shown to enhance the effect of NRT compared with NRT alone. Clonidine increased the chances of quitting (RR 1.63; 1.22–2.18), but this was offset by a dose-dependent rise in adverse events. Other treatments failed to demonstrate a benefit compared with placebo. Nicotine vaccines are not yet licensed for use as an aid to smoking cessation or relapse prevention. Nicobrevin's UK licence is now revoked, and the manufac- turers of rimonabant, taranabant and dianicline are no longer supporting the development or testing of these treat- ments. Authors’ conclusions NRT, bupropion, varenicline and cytisine have been shown to improve the chances of quitting. Combination NRT and vareni- cline are equally effective as quitting aids. Nortriptyline also improves the chances of quitting. On current evidence, none of the treatments appears to have an incidence of adverse events that would mitigate their use. Further research is warranted into the safety of varenicline and into cytisine's potential as an effective and affordable treatment, but not into the efficacy and safety of NRT. Citation Cahill K, et al. Pharmacological interven- tions for smoking cessation: an overview and network meta-analysis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2013, Issue 5. Art. No.: CD009329. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD009329.pub2. Latest reviews from Cochrane In this section we present an abstract of a review relevant to prescribing in general practice from the latest issue of The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. To view the article in full or for further information, visit www.thecochranelibrary.com