Health Rounds: New drug to help smokers quit 'impressive' in trial

Achieve Life Sciences

13/07/2023 18:16

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    By Nancy Lapid
       July 13 (Reuters) - 
    Hello Health Rounds Readers! Today we share encouraging news
about a new drug that helped people quit smoking in a late-stage
randomized trial, with fewer and milder side effects than those
associated with current prescription smoking-cessation
medications. We also highlight two other studies: one suggesting
that bacteria in the intestines may be linked with
artery-clogging plaque, and another offering a potential new
explanation for the mysterious illness plaguing veterans of the
1991 Gulf War.
    
    New drug to help smokers stop shows promise in trial
    A new drug to help people quit smoking developed by Achieve
Life Sciences  ACHV.O  yielded promising results in a late-stage
trial, researchers said. 
    At 17 medical centers, 810 smokers were randomly assigned to
receive the oral drug, cytisinicline, three times a day for 6 or
12 weeks, or a placebo.
    Participants taking cytisinicline experienced a rapid and
sustained decline in cravings and smoking urges during the first
6 weeks of treatment, according to a report published on Tuesday
in JAMA.
    At 24 weeks, when participants had not taken the medication
for at least three months, the abstinence rate was 21.1% in the
12-week treatment group and 8.9% in the 6-week treatment group.
That compared to 4.8% and 2.6% for the 12- and 6-week placebo
groups, respectively. 
    At 24 weeks, one additional person had quit smoking for
every six people in the 12-week treatment group, and one for
every 11 people in the 6-week treatment group, the researchers
estimated.   
    The effects of cytisinicline are similar but not identical
to Pfizer's  PFE.N  Chantix (varenicline), which is currently
the most effective U.S. FDA-approved smoking cessation drug,
according to the report.
    There were low rates of typical side effects like nausea and
insomnia, the researchers said. 
    An editorial published with the study said that while the
trial did not directly compare cytisinicline to varenicline,
"the more than 4-fold increase in the smoking cessation rate
over placebo at 6 months in this trial is impressive."
    Achieve has said it expects to apply for U.S. approval of
cytisinicline as an aid in treating nicotine dependence in
adults trying to quit cigarette smoking in the first half of
2024.

    Bacteria in gut linked with clogged heart arteries
    When the bacteria that cause strep throat are present in
high quantities in the intestines, the risk for a heart attack
is increased, a study from Sweden suggests.
    Among nearly 9,000 adults ages 50 to 65, those whose
populations of gut flora contained an "abundance" of certain
Streptococcus species were more likely to also have deposits of
fat and cholesterol clogging their heart arteries, according to
a report published on Wednesday in Circulation. 
    Streptococcus bacteria, often found in the mouth, are common
causes of pneumonia and infections of the throat, skin and heart
valves. 
    The researchers also found that the amount of plaque in the
coronary arteries was linked with levels of these bacteria
species in the mouth and with inflammation markers in the blood.
    The finding that people with streptococci in their
intestines have worse cardiovascular health doesn't mean the
bacteria are causing the problem, however.
    "We now need to understand whether these bacteria are
contributing to atherosclerosis development," study leader Tove
Fall of Uppsala University said in a statement. 
    More studies are needed to determine whether these bacteria
are to blame and whether drugs to eradicate them might help
prevent or treat clogged arteries, the report concludes. 

    New theory may explain Gulf War Illness
    Researchers have a new theory that might explain Gulf War
Illness and yield a new target for future treatments of the
chronic health condition that affects one-in-three soldiers who
served in the 1991 Gulf War.
    The ongoing symptoms of Gulf War Illness – including
fatigue, headaches, muscle aches, joint pain, diarrhea, insomnia
and cognitive impairment – are thought to have been triggered by
exposure to environmental toxins, and to linger due to a
persistent inflammatory response from the body's immune system. 
    Instead, a small study suggests mitochondria, the
energy-producing organelles found inside cells, may be the true
source of the long lingering symptoms.
    "This is a radical rethinking of the pathology of Gulf War
Illness," study co-author Dr. Beatrice Golomb of University of
California San Diego School of Medicine said in a statement. 
    When researchers compared mitochondrial function and
inflammation in 36 volunteers, including 19 veterans with Gulf
War Illness, they found the veterans' symptoms "show a far
stronger relationship to the mitochondrial measure than to
inflammation," according to a paper published on Wednesday in
Science Reports. 
    Mitochondrial impairment as a cause of conditions associated
with Gulf War Illness would not necessarily rule out a role for
inflammation, they said.
    But mitochondrial impairment – and its effect on cell energy
production - could explain some of the conditions associated
with the syndrome that arise from inadequate cell energy, such
as heart attacks, heart failure and stroke, the researchers
said. 
    They noted that dietary supplements that support
mitochondrial function have benefited veterans with Gulf War
Illness in earlier studies. 
    "For veterans who have long struggled to get effective
care," Golomb said, "this discovery could be a real game
changer."



 (Reporting by Nancy Lapid; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
 ((Nancy.Lapid@thomsonreuters.com;))