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Penn study shows genes may affect response to different quit-smoking medications 

A study by researchers at the Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center (TTURC) of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine indicates that a smoker's genetic make-up may affect whether they quit or not while using either bupropion (Zyban) or nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) such as the nicotine patch or nasal spray. The results appear in the August issue of Neuropsychopharmacology.

"This study provides new evidence that genetic differences in the brain-reward pathways of smokers may reveal whether they would benefit more from Zyban(c) or nicotine replacement therapy as an aid to quitting smoking," said lead author Professor Caryn Lerman, PhD, Director of the TTURC and Associate Director for Cancer Control Population Sciences at Penn's Abramson Cancer Center.

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