Re: Use of varenicline for smoking cessation and risk of serious cardiovascular events: nationwide cohort study
When will varenicline’s ban be removed in France?
Thanks to Svanström et al for their study, which must be added to the list of reassuring data regarding varenicline safety.(1) Indeed, smoking represents the number one preventable cause of mortality worldwide and this second line treatment is useful.
There is no reason to throw the baby out with the bath water. However, on 31 May 2011, World No-Tobacco Day, French health Minister Xavier Bertrand brutally removed varenicline from the list of approved treatments available for reimbursement through his country’s social security funds, very soon after the publication of the Canadian meta-analysis.(2)
Was Xavier Bertrand concerned by varenicline’s cardio-vascular safety?(2) One can observe that Sarkozy’s government had a very bad record regarding tobacco control, an exception among developed countries.(3) Even the prevalence of daily smoking among 17-year-olds increased from 28.9% in 2008 to 31.5% in 2011.(4) Last, in contrast, we can note that in 2006 Xavier Bertrand allowed the renewal of reimbursement for benfluorex (Mediator) despite serious warning.(5)
I hope that the new French health Minister read the BMJ.
1 Svanström H, Pasternak B, Hviid A. Use of varenicline for smoking cessation and risk of serious cardiovascular events: nationwide cohort study. BMJ2012;345:e7176.
2 Singh S, Loke YK, Spangler JG, Furberg CD. Risk of serious adverse cardiovascular events associated with varenicline: a systematic review and meta-analysis. CMAJ 2011;183:1359-66.
3 Braillon A, Mereau AS, Dubois G. [Tobacco control in France: effects of public policy on mortality]. Presse Med 2012;41:679-81.
Rapid Response:
Re: Use of varenicline for smoking cessation and risk of serious cardiovascular events: nationwide cohort study
When will varenicline’s ban be removed in France?
Thanks to Svanström et al for their study, which must be added to the list of reassuring data regarding varenicline safety.(1) Indeed, smoking represents the number one preventable cause of mortality worldwide and this second line treatment is useful.
There is no reason to throw the baby out with the bath water. However, on 31 May 2011, World No-Tobacco Day, French health Minister Xavier Bertrand brutally removed varenicline from the list of approved treatments available for reimbursement through his country’s social security funds, very soon after the publication of the Canadian meta-analysis.(2)
Was Xavier Bertrand concerned by varenicline’s cardio-vascular safety?(2) One can observe that Sarkozy’s government had a very bad record regarding tobacco control, an exception among developed countries.(3) Even the prevalence of daily smoking among 17-year-olds increased from 28.9% in 2008 to 31.5% in 2011.(4) Last, in contrast, we can note that in 2006 Xavier Bertrand allowed the renewal of reimbursement for benfluorex (Mediator) despite serious warning.(5)
I hope that the new French health Minister read the BMJ.
1 Svanström H, Pasternak B, Hviid A. Use of varenicline for smoking cessation and risk of serious cardiovascular events: nationwide cohort study. BMJ2012;345:e7176.
2 Singh S, Loke YK, Spangler JG, Furberg CD. Risk of serious adverse cardiovascular events associated with varenicline: a systematic review and meta-analysis. CMAJ 2011;183:1359-66.
3 Braillon A, Mereau AS, Dubois G. [Tobacco control in France: effects of public policy on mortality]. Presse Med 2012;41:679-81.
4 Dautzenberg B. [Catastrophic relapse to smoking among college students in Paris]. 6 May 2010 Available at http://www.politiquessociales.net/IMG/pdf/1_5_Catastrophique_reprise_du_... Accessed 18 November 2012.
5 Braillon A. Mediator: who's to blame? Lancet. 2011;377:2003-4.
Competing interests: No competing interests