Chantix News Archive

 

VA ISSUES FURTHER CHANTIX AND ZYBAN WARNINGS
-VA Watchdog
09/14/2009 - "Family members and caregivers should also be alerted to the potential for changes in mood or behavior and contact the health care provider if they observe these changes..."
The VA is the premier organization for promoting smoking cessation programs. However, they tend to push drugs as the "helper of choice" for those veterans who wish to give up the cigarettes. The two drugs used by the VA are Chantix and Zyban (varenicline and bupropion, respectively). More>>>

Pfizer’s smoking-cessation drug cautions behavioural changes
-Hindu Business Line
09/08/2009 - Pfizer has updated the label on its smoking-cessation product Champix, to alert health professionals of behavioural changes, including depressed moods and suicidal thoughts, reportedly associated with such products. More>>>

Suicidal Thoughts and Rage: What are Causing Your Symptoms of Side Effects
-US Recall News
09/04/2009 - Suicidal thoughts and Rage are often symptoms of conditions like clinical depression, and bipolar disorder. Since everyone handles depression differently, the symptoms of this disease manifest in different ways. Extreme anger is a common – but often ignored – symptom of depression, especially in men. More>>>

Carter Albrecht's Dad Explains Why, Two Years Later, He and His Wife are Suing Pfizer
-UnfairPark
09/02/2009 -Yesterday in Dallas federal court, Carter Albrecht's parents, Ken and Judy, finally sued Pfizer, claiming that its smoking-cessation drug Chantix played a "direct and proximate" role in Carter's shooting death almost two years ago to the day. More>>>

Experts Welcome FDA Order For Warning Labels On Anti-smoking Drugs
-Medindia
07/20/2009 - Smoking cessation experts have heartily welcomed the US FDA’s order for warning labels on anti-smoking drugs Chantix and Zyban. Varenicline, marketed as Chantix and bupropion, marketed as Zyban, might set off changes in behavior — hostility, agitation, depressed mood, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and attempts at suicide. More>>>

Suicide Warnings Required for Anti-Smoking Drugs
-The Washington Post
07/03/2009 - The Food and Drug Administration announced today that it is requiring the smoking-cessation drugs Chantix and Zyban to carry the strongest type of safety warning possible to alert patients that the medications can cause serious mental health problems, including depression and suicide. More>>>

FDA warning issued for smoking cessation drugs
-Examiner
07/02/2009 - Chantix and Zyban are both commonly prescribed drugs used to treat nicotine addiction in smokers hoping to quit the habit. Both drugs have proven to be successful in reducing nicotine cravings in addicted smokers, although serious side effects have been reported. More>>>

Public Health Advisory: FDA Requires New Boxed Warnings for the Smoking Cessation Drugs Chantix and Zyban
-FDA
07/01/2009 - The FDA is notifying the public that the use of Chantix (varenicline) or Zyban (bupropion hydrochloride), two prescription medicines that are used as part of smoking cessation programs, has been associated with reports of changes in behavior such as hostility, agitation, depressed mood, and suicidal thoughts or actions. More>>>

FDA Monitoring More Than 20 Drugs For Potential Risks
-RedOrbit
06/06/2009 - The US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday released a list of a variety of drugs that it is currently testing for possible safety issues. The list contains two-dozen different drugs, which vary from treatment of sleep disorder to weight-loss. Pfizer Inc’s Chantix, a drug aimed at helping people stop smoking, is among the drug varieties currently being monitored by the FDA. Regulators are seeking to determine whether or not the drug poses a possible risk of accidental injury or vision impairment to patients. More>>>

Chantix Suicide: "Something Demanded I Do It"
-LawyersandSettlements
02/13/2009- Three Rivers, MI: When Melinda F. started reading other people's stories about Chantix side effects, she started to cry. That was because she had not realized that her use of Chantix may have caused her suicide attempt in November, 2007. Melinda says that she had never experienced anything like the depression she went through while taking Chantix. More>>>

Over 800 complaints on quit-smoking aid reported to Health Canada
-CBC
02/07/2009- A drug commonly used to help people quit smoking is the focus of more than 800 complaints from Canadian users, many of them reporting mood swings, depression or suicidal thoughts. Of the 818 complaints about Champix (varenicline tartrate) Health Canada has received complaints on its adverse reaction database, 520 involved psychiatric problems. More>>>

Canada to strengthen warning on anti-smoking drug Champix
-GlobeLifeHealth
01/09/2009- A medication highly touted for its ability to help people quit smoking can pose serious health risks - including suicidal tendencies and other psychiatric problems - to those taking it, Health Canada warned yesterday in an announcement that it will be creating a stronger warning label for the drug. More>>>

Chantix "The Worst Drug"
-LawyersandSettlements
12/07/2008- Gardena, CA: For some patients, the two words go together all too well: Chantix suicide is not an abstract phenomenon for these people. In fact, it is a very real possibility. Mitchell W. says he was surprised by the Chantix side effects he suffered, especially since he had not experienced any side effects during an earlier round of the anti-smoking drug. More>>>

Chantix Suicide a Real Possibility
-LawyersandSettlements
11/25/2008- Amy M. can tell you that the possibility of a Chantix suicide is very real, especially for people who already experience depression. She was on Chantix for just over a week when she began suffering serious side effects. More>>>

Champix, a Slow-ticking Time Bomb
-The Healthier Life
10/03/2008- It’s not just the smokers who are suffering but also those supporting them in their effort. Here is a quote from one of our female readers: “... our relationship is at risk. All the symptoms of depression, suicide, upset stomach, fatigue, muscle pain, paranoia, lack of sex drive, etc...has taken a huge toll...” More>>>

Chantix Linked to Suicide Risk?
-InjuryBoard.com
10/01/2008- In early 2008, the FDA issued a Public Health Advisory on the smoking cessation drug Chantix. Chantix, also known as varenicline, is manufactured by Pfizer. More>>>

Unbranded Ads Also Unpopular
-BRANDWEEK.com
09/28/2008- The money pharmaceutical companies are spending on ads is in decline for the first time ever. This has caused a dramatic collapse in an area that companies have always proudly backed: unbranded health education campaigns. Spend in the first half of the year for such ads, which describe an ailment but don't plug the branded solution, fell 3% to $2.4 billion, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus. More>>>

FDA Approved Drug brings Some to Suicide!
-JusticeNewsFlash.com
09/26/2008- Pfizer, the drug manufacturer of Chantix, faces numerous lawsuits which state that this specific drug has caused many of its users to have serious side effects, even that of suicide. Approved by the FDA, Chantix is taken to help individuals quit smoking, but at what cost? More>>>

Anti-Smoking Drug Chantix Causes Potentially Deadly Traffic Accidents
-NaturalNews
09/25/2008- Pfizer's bestselling anti-smoking drug Chantix has been responsible for more than two dozen traffic accidents, due to side effects such as seizures and loss of consciousness, according to a study conducted by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices. More>>>

Anti-Smoking Drug Banned for Airline Pilots After Link to Auto Accidents
-NaturalNews
09/22/2008- The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has banned the use of the popular anti-smoking drug Chantix by pilots and air traffic controllers, due to a study's conclusions that it could cause seizures and loss of consciousness that may have contributed to car accidents. More>>>

Report: VA failed to safeguard veterans
-The Washington Times
09/20/2008- The Veterans Affairs Department is responsible for numerous "unacceptable failures" in ensuring safeguards for soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder who were enrolled in a medical experiment to help them stop smoking, an internal review found Friday. More>>>

TV Ads for Smoking Drug Chantix Resume Despite Suicide Side Effects
-AboutLawsuits.com
09/15/2008- After pulling all advertisements for Chantix earlier this year amid concerns about increased suicide risks, Pfizer has re-launched a national TV campaign for their stop smoking drug. More>>>

Chantix Makers Use “Unbranded” Ads to Reduce Side-Effect Talk
-InjuryBoard.com
09/03/2008- As many may have heard over the past several months Pfizer’s anti-smoking drug Chantix has been linked to serious side effects including suicidal thought and suicidal behavior. When evidence of links began to grow stronger Pfizer began to move away from its multi-billion dollar direct to consumer advertising campaign and began to move toward more subtle “unbranded” advertisements. More>>>

Controversial Ads for Chantix, Ambien Indirectly Name the Drugs
-eFluxMedia
09/01/2008- The controversial ad campaign initiated by Pfizer Inc., the world’s largest pharmaceutical company, continues despite criticism. Alarm signals were pulled as regard to its antismoking drug Chantix, after studies have showed its potential dangerous side-effects such as heart irregularities, seizures and more than 100 accidents linked to its use. More>>>

Medical certification of truckers using Chantix not likely
-LandLine Magazine
08/28/2008- Truckers taking Chantix to help them quit smoking won’t be sailing through the medical certification process. Growing concern on the part of the Food and Drug Administration prompted the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to caution physicians against certifying the medical fitness of any trucker taking the prescription medication. More>>>

Chantix Out at One U.S. Military Base
-NewsInferno.com
08/12/2008- In the US, Chantix has been linked to at least 40 suicides and 400 attempted suicides. In November 2007, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) issued an “Early Communication” that stated its preliminary assessment revealed many of the cases reflected new-onset of depressed mood, suicidal ideation, and changes in emotion and behavior within days to weeks of initiating Chantix treatment. More>>>

Vets, or Lab Rats?
-The Texas Observer
08/09/2008-But no one told Elliott about one detail: A side effect of Chantix is that it can make you suicidal. Sure enough, weeks into the test, Elliot suffered a mental breakdown, got a gun, and ended up tasered and arrested. More>>>

VA Leaders Questioned On Response To Suicide Risk In Agency Study
- US Medicine
07/30/2008- WASHINGTON—In what is becoming a regular ritual on Capitol Hill, legislators took Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) leaders to task last month, this time for a possible breakdown in the agency’s human subject protection system of a study on combining smoking cessation therapy with therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). More>>>

" I wanted to Drive into a Tree on Chantix"
-LawyersandSettlements.com
07/24/2008- Saundra made a New Year's resolution: she was going to quit smoking. "I know from past experience that my medical insurance won't cover smoking cessation drugs but they covered Chantix," says Saundra. More>>>

VFW Demands Accountability Over Chantix Issue

-The Patriot

07/18/2008- "Enough is enough," said George J. Lisicki, the national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S., in response to yesterday's Washington Times article about the potential lethal effect a prescribed drug is having on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder-diagnosed veterans who volunteered for a Department of Veterans Affairs smoking cessation program. More>>>

Litigators Set Sights on Chantix

-FDA News

07/15/2008- A lawsuit claiming Pfizer’s smoking-cessation drug Chantix caused a suicide was filed in Indiana federal court earlier this month, and a major law firm is investigating similar legal action against the manufacturer. More>>>

Pfizer faces lawsuits over anti-smoking drug Chantix

-LegalNewsLine

07/14/2008- Pfizer's smoking-cessation drug Chantix could be the latest drug to land in the crosshairs of U.S. plaintiffs' attorneys, two new lawsuits suggest. More>>>

First Chantix Lawsuit Filed
-NewsInferno.com
07/12/2008- One of the first lawsuits over Pfizer’s smoking cessation drug, Chantix, is becoming official this week. The lawsuit alleges that the use of Chantix led David Collins of Gas City, Indiana, to commit suicide in January and that Pfizer failed to issue proper warnings about psychiatric side effects.  More>>>

Widow Sues Pfizer Over Chantix After Husband’s Suicide

-Wall Street Journal

07/10/2008- Where there’s a drug-safety controversy, there’s a lawsuit waiting in the wings. In Pfizer’s case, the suit over the smoking-cessation drug Chantix was filed by the widow of a man who shot himself to death in January. More>>>

VA Tested Drugs That Could Produce Psychosis on War Veterans

-Discover

07/01/2008- The antismoking drug Chantix was considered a wonder drug for about 18 months; the drug helps people quit smoking by both reducing nicotine cravings and decreasing the pleasure derived from tobacco. Then the reports of scary side effects started leaking out. More>>>

Stay Away from Chantix

-Lawyers and Settlements

06/30/2008- Cindy B. had been smoking for 25 years when she decided it was time to quit. Unfortunately, she was given Chantix and suffered serious side effects. However, it was not until she read an article about Chantix that she realized her side effects were related to the smoking-cessation drug. More>>>

Veterans to Receive Warning Letter about Chantix Link to Suicidal Thoughts
-InjuryBoard.com
06/23/2008- The Veterans Administration is mailing letters to more than 32,000 veterans who are currently taking the smoking-cessation drug, Chantix (made by Pfizer), warning them of the drug’s possible side effects, which include suicidal thoughts. More>>>

Warning issued about stop-smoking drug
-Globeandmail.com
06/22/2008- Champix, a highly-touted smoking-cessation pill marketed by Pfizer Canada, may be linked to suicide, depression and other serious psychiatric problems, Health Canada warned yesterday. More>>>

Chantix Concerns Ignored by FDA, Doctor Says
-NewsInferno.com
06/19/2008- Concerns over Chantix side effects were reportedly ignored by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) last year when they were raised by a doctor who is a top expert in smoking cessation. More>>>

'Disposable Heroes': Veterans Used To Test Suicide-Linked Drug Chantix
-ABC News

06/17/2008- Mentally distressed veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are being recruited for government tests on pharmaceutical drugs linked to suicide and other violent side effects. More>>>

Chantix Not For Everyone
-Lawyers and Settlements

06/16/2008- When Mike's doctor prescribed Chantix, he wasn't sold on the idea: only a few years back he had taken Wellbutrin to quit smoking, "but it drove me nuts," said Mike. His doctor said that Chantix was safe. How wrong she was. More>>>

RP warns of anti-smoking drug side effects
-Inquirer.net

06/12/2008- Health officials have cautioned people on Thursday against taking the anti-smoking drug varenicline due to possible behavioral and psychiatric side effects, echoing a US warning. More>>>

FDA, Pfizer Told of Chantix Safety Concerns a Year Ago
-ABC News

06/12/2008- A physician and top smoking cessation researcher says U.S. regulators and a drugmaker brushed aside his concerns a year ago about possibly dangerous side effects from longer-term use of the stop-smoking drug Chantix. More>>>

FMCSA issues Chantix alert
-eTrucker.com

06/09/2008- The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has advised medical examiners not to certify drivers taking Chantix, a popular smoking-cessation drug, because it may adversely affect driving. More>>>

"Chantix Overwhelmed Me"
-LawyersandSettlements.com
06/08/2008- Rogersville, TN: "It's funny that everything started at the same time—nausea, pressure on my chest and all my mental problems; these symptoms happened almost immediately after I started to take Chantix," says Angie. More>>>

Woman: Husband may have become disoriented because of drug, Chantix
-WINK News
06/04/2008- A husband and daughter go missing for nearly two days and the wife says a drug used to help people quit smoking could be to blame.
Susan Marino says her husband was taking the drug, Chantix. That drug's warning label states it might cause neuro-psychiatric symptoms, including changes in behavior, agitation, depression, and suicidal behavior. More>>>

Anti-smoking drug under scrutiny again
-LA Times

06/03/2008- The anti-smoking drug Chantix developed by Pfizer is being re- examined by the US Food and Drug Administration after reports that hundreds of patients have experienced serious problems. More>>>

FDA Investigating Pfizer's Anti-Smoking Drug Chantix
-Lawyers and Settlements

06/02/2008- FDA is no investigating Pfizer's anti-smoking drug Chantix after last week's report about serious adverse side effects. More>>>

Chantix: The Kids Also Suffer
-LawyersandSettlements.com
05/31/2008- Silver Springs, FL: On their doctor's advice, Tara and her husband were both prescribed Chantix to quit their smoking addiction. Although the drug has a high success rate, many users are questioning whether the psychological side effects are worth it. More>>>

The FDA Takes A Closer Look At Chantix

-ABC News

05/30/2008- The FDA is taking a closer look at anti-smoking drug Chantix...it may be causing serious side effects in some users. More>>>

Pfizer Seeks to Counter Chantix Concerns

-Wall Street Journal

05/29/2008- Pfizer Inc. is preparing an advertising and public-relations campaign to counter concerns about its antismoking drug Chantix, once trumpeted as a potential billion-dollar-a-year blockbuster. More>>>

 Chantix Under Fire
-PharmExec.com
05/28/2008- Pfizer's Chantix (varenicline), already under fire for safety issues, was targeted again late last week when the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, a nonprofit best known for its work in preventing medication errors, reported that the smoking cessation product was associated with more serious adverse event (SAE) reports than any other drug. More>>>

Concerns about serious side effects of anti-smoking drug Champix (Chantix-varenicline)
Pharmaceutical News
05/26/2008- New research in the United States on the anti-smoking drug Champix (Chantix-varenicline) says there have been 3,000 reports of side effects since the drug was approved for use there in 2006. More>>>

Chantix News Means Trouble for Pfizer
-LawyersandSettlements.com
05/25/2008- Chicago, IL: There is now a litany of adverse symptoms associated with Chantix (varenicline). Heart problems, seizures and diabetes join the already well-documented psychiatric problems, including suicide, suicidal thoughts and depression. More>>>

Anti-Smoking Chantinx Has Serious Side Effects
-HULIQ.com
05/22/2008- A strong signal of multiple safety problems with Chantix (varenicline), a drug to help people stop smoking, has been seen in a pilot program to identify new drug risks in adverse drug events reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. More>>>

Pfizer's Chantix Tied to 3,000 Side Effects Reports
-Bloomberg
05/21/2008- Pfizer Inc.'s stop-smoking pill Chantix has been linked to more than 3,000 reports in the U.S. of serious side effects, including suicides, heart trouble and aggression, a study said. More>>>

New FDA Alerts on Chantix
-NewsInferno.com
05/19/2008- The US Food and Drug Administration has just approved the Medication Guide on the smoking cessation drug, Chantix, and has issued an alert to highlight changes to the “Warnings and Precautions” section of the full prescribing information regarding serious neuropsychiatric symptoms linked to Chantix.  Symptoms include changes in behavior, agitation, depressed mood, suicidal ideation, and both attempted and completed suicide.  More>>>

“Chantix Put Me in a Psychiatric Hospital”
-LawyeresandSettlements.com

Chantix Suicide: Sinking Into the Deep Hole

-Lawyers and Settlements

05/13/2008 - New marketing ads for Pfizer's Chantix will look very different from the original 'tortoise and the hare' ads of last year, now that Pfizer has to include risk for suicide. More>>>

"A Nurse Warned Me Not to Take Chantix"

-Lawyers and Settlements

05/12/2008 - "I went from being an active, social person to someone who thought everyone was against me and I thought they would be better off without me," says Stacey. "By the third week of taking Chantix, I had suicidal thoughts." More>>>

Several Drugs Found to be Linked to Suicide
-InjuryBoard.com
05/10/2008- Suicide has been linked to several medicines over the past few years. Some of these include Accutane, Chantix, Singular and Paxil. The Food and Drug Administration has received reports on at least six different drug classes that may be linked to suicidal behavior.  The SSRI antidepressants were some of the first drugs linked to suicidal thoughts several years ago. More>>>

Chantix Helps Smoking Stoppage, May Lead to Suicide

-eNews 2.0

05/09/2008 - The federal government suggests doctors should recommend Chantix to patients who are to quit smoking. Chantix is a drug released by Pfizer Inc. in 2006 and is considered to have the highest efficiency in combating this vice. The issue is that, despite the praise about its proficiency, its side effects are worrisome. More>>>

Pfizer relaunches ads for smoking cessation drug Chantix

- Star Ledger

05/07/2008 - Pfizer yanked ads for its smoking cessation drug Chantix earlier this year because of safety concerns -- specifically, reports that taking the drug could lead to behavioral changes, depression and even suicidal thoughts in some patients. More>>>

Chantix Caused Veteran’s Depression

- Lawyers and Settlements

05/01/2008 - When John came back from Kuwait a few months ago, his VA doctor said that Chantix was the 'Number 1' drug to quit smoking. He neglected to tell John of the side effects, such as depression and suicidal thoughts. More>>>

Anti-addiction drugs linked to depression
- Daily Times
04/28/2008 - Pills that aimed to help people quit smoking, lose weight and kick other tough addictions, have been found to block the body’s pleasure centres, possibly raising the risk of depression and suicide. More>>>

The Hell of Chantix: In Their Own Words
-LawyersandSettlements
04/24/2008 - There is nothing more compelling than someone's own story, and the stories involving Chantix and its Canadian and European counterpart Chantix, abound. More>>>

Anti-smoking drug has ties to serious mental illness
-The Daily Telegram
04/18/2008 - Melinda and Kenny Peterson wanted to kick their two-pack-a-day smoking habit. In early January, the Green Bay couple started taking three-month prescriptions of Chantix, a new anti-smoking pill. About six weeks later, they weren’t smoking at all. More>>>

Man Kills Self While Taking Anti-Smoking Drug
-Fox News
04/17/2008 - Omer Jama, 39, of Bolton, England, was a Sky Sports video editor who was taking the drug to try and kick his pack-a-day habit, the U.K.'s Daily Mail reports. More>>>

Dark side of pill to help smokers kick habit
-Star Ledger, NJ
02/25/2008 -When Pfizer's anti-smoking pill Chantix came on the market 18 months ago, it was touted as more effective than existing treatments at helping break the deadly nicotine addiction. More>>>

Pfizer's Chantix Warning: Hazardous To Mental Health?
-CNBC
01/18/2008 - This doesn't come as any big surprise, but Pfizer announced this morning that it is putting a warning--and that's the company's word--on the label of its stop-smoking pill Chantix. It says people taking the drug should be watched for "serious neuropsychiatric symptoms, including changes in behavior, agitation, depressed mood, suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior." More>>>