Predictors of treatment success in smoking cessation with varenicline combined with nicotine replacement therapy v. varenicline alone.

What Was Tested

Researchers studied Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide) in this randomized controlled trial publication.

To identify the predictors of success in a randomised controlled trial comparing varenicline alone or in combination with nicotine replacement therapy (NRT).

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 435 subjects were involved.

The age groups tagged for this paper are adults and middle-aged adults, both men and women.

A post-hoc analysis of the data of 435 subjects who participated in a 24-week, multicentre trial in South Africa was performed.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized and multicenter study.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide) and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

More than one site took part, so the subjects came from several places.

Point prevalence and continuous abstinence rates were self-reported and confirmed biochemically with exhaled carbon monoxide readings.

What Was Measured

PubMed files the paper under topics including Age Factors, Breath Tests, Carbon Monoxide, Nicotinic Agonists, Predictive Value of Tests, Smoking and Smoking Cessation.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized and multicenter study of Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide) in 435 subjects.

With several hundred people or more, it is a fairly large study for this kind of research.

Results are reported in around 4 sentences of the abstract; we leave them to the paper itself rather than summarise them.

The publication is from 2017 (South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde), a journal based in South Africa.

More context: the Therapeutic nicotine (patch, non-peptide) compound page, all human trials.