HEALTH: Smoking: New anti-smoking treatment approved

A new anti-smoking treatment has received the approval of NICE, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence. The drug, Champix, works by blocking the brain's nicotine receptors, rendering cigarettes pointless for smokers. In trials, it had a 44 percent success rate compared with 30 percent for the drug Zyban and 15 percent for nicotine patches. The approval comes four weeks before the ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces comes into effect in England .

ITN Source | May 31, 2007