NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Higher-dosage nicotine patches give a stronger kick to kicking the habit and are just as safe, according to a European study.
"The higher dose should be available because it increases the chances of heavy smokers giving up by 30% compared with the standard dose," according to Armund Gulsvik, professor of thoracic medicine at Bergen University in Norway, where part of the trial was conducted.
The 25 mg patches are not yet available to the consumer. The higher-dose patches supply approximately half the nicotine smokers get from cigarettes.
The study followed 3,500 hard-core smokers (more than a pack per day for over 20 years) for one year. All had tried to butt out before, but without success. They were either given a dummy patch, the standard 15 mg version, or the new 25 mg version patch.
After one year, 60% more smokers quit when using the new high-dose patch compared to those using the dummy patch. This was double the 30% success rate of the standard 15 mg patch.
'Quit' meant not smoking a single cigarette during the full year of the study. Breath tests for chemical traces of smoking were given to ensure participants were not lying.
"No serious side effects were reported in any of the patient groups," according to the study. The only minor side effect noted was some skin irritation where the patch was applied.
Gulsvik is impressed with the results. "Further research with even higher dose patches and a combination of patches and nicotine nasal spray or gum should be carried out, since it makes sense to replace as much nicotine in the form of a safe therapy as smokers received from cigarettes."
SOURCE: Shire Hall Communications press release (September 12, 1996)
