The NHS is set to roll out a daily anti-smoking pill to help tens of thousands of people quit the habit.
Varenicline reduces cravings for nicotine, while also combating withdrawal symptoms such as irritability and difficulty sleeping.
Amanda Pritchard, NHS England chief executive, said: ‘Smoking remains one of the biggest public health issues facing the NHS and has devastating impacts on the body – from the lungs to the heart, blood and brain, while also increasing risk of cancer, diabetes and stroke.’
Speaking at the NHS Annual Conference and Exhibition in Liverpool, she said: ‘This simple, daily pill could be a game changer for people who want to quit smoking and is another vital step in shifting our NHS further towards prevention.’
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According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, around six million people - one in eight adults - smoke in the UK and there were more than 400,000 linked hospital admissions in England in 2022-23.
Data also suggest that the NHS spends around £2.5 billion on treating health problems caused by smoking.
Varenicline is a prescription-only medicine and blocks the effects of nicotine in the brain. A branded version of the pill known as Champix was previously available, but it was withdrawn in 2021 after an impurity was discovered. Varenicline is a cheaper, generic version of the same drug, and has been approved as safe by the Medicines Health and Regulatory Authority.
NHS England said that when used alongside behavioural support, such as counselling, it could help around one in four people to stop smoking for at least six months.
The healthcare body also found that it could help more than 85,000 people stop smoking each year, and prevent around 9,500 smoking-related deaths over the next five years.
Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, welcomed the roll out of the pill, but said that more services were needed to help people access support.
‘Improving access to varenicline will be a positive step forward to help prevent the tens of thousands of deaths caused by smoking. However, a drug alone will not transform smoking rates. Services are needed to support smokers and prescribe these products.
‘But gaps remain around the country, with services often in peril as local NHS organisations try to balance the books,’ she said.
However, most healthcare professionals consider this a positive move to aid in smoking cessation.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: ‘The rollout of this pill can save the NHS millions of pounds, save appointments to help other patients be seen faster and save lives.’