Yokota pharmacy pulls anti-smoking pill

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Yokota pharmacy pulls anti-smoking pill
By Jennifer H. Svan, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Tuesday, August 12, 2008

The new anti-smoking pill Chantix has been pulled from at least one military pharmacy in the Pacific following strong warnings linking the drug to serious psychiatric problems.

The drug, however, is still an option in many military smoking-cessation programs in the region, with health care providers saying Chantix has proved to be effective against nicotine addiction and can be used safely with proper screening and close monitoring. The health benefits of a smoke-free life, for some, outweigh the risks of using Chantix, typically prescribed over 12 weeks, doctors say.

But medical officials at Yokota Air Base in Japan were concerned enough with the drug’s potential safety risks that they voted recently to remove Chantix from the base pharmacy, according to Maj. Tam Dinh, 374th Medical Support Squadron pharmacy element chief.

The decision came after a May 21 report from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, a nonprofit organization devoted to medication error prevention and safe medication use.

It found a suspected association between the Pfizer drug varenicline (marketed as Chantix in the United States) and sudden loss of consciousness, seizures, muscle spasms, vision disturbances, hallucinations, paranoia, psychosis and other adverse reactions, according to Dinh.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=56690