Jump to full article: Fort Worth (TX) Star-Telegram, 2004-11-22
Author: Michael Stroh/ The Baltimore Sun
Intro: Is tobacco about to meet its match?
New insights into how nicotine behaves in the body are paving the way for better drugs to help smokers beat their addiction, researchers reported this month at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists' annual meeting in Baltimore.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 70 percent of the nation's 46 million smokers say they want to quit. But fewer than 5 percent of those who go cold turkey manage to stay nicotine-free. Most last less than a week.
Smokers who turn to cessation aids, including behavioral therapy and drugs such as Zyban or nicotine gums and patches, fare better -- but not by much. Fewer than 25 percent of smokers who use cessation aids are tobacco-free after one year. One result: 440,000 Americans die from smoking-related causes every year.
Jump to full article » |