Craving relief with a 6 mg nicotine gum
| Author(s)
Anna Hansson, Thomas Rasmussen and Roland Perfekt
| | Presenter(s) |
Anna Hansson Associate Director Pharmacokinetics, McNeil AB, Lund, Sweden | Abstract Under-dosing appears to be a major problem with current NRT. Therefore, a new 6 mg nicotine gum has been developed. Strength, speed of onset and duration of craving relief of 6 mg gum were evaluated in a randomized crossover study, conducted in 240 healthy adult smokers. The study compared urges to smoke over 5 hours measured on a 100 mm Visual Analogue Scale following administration of either one nicotine gum 6 mg or one Nicorette Gum 4 mg.
The reductions in urges to smoke over the first 1 and 3 hours after administration were statistically significantly greater with 6 mg than 4 mg gum, (p < 0.005). A 50% reduction in perceived urges to smoke was reached in 9.4 min with 6 mg gum compared to 16.2 min with 4 mg gum (median values). The median duration of a 50% or more reduction in urges to smoke was 111 min with 6 mg gum versus 74 min with 4 mg gum.
In summary, the greater speed and extent of absorption of nicotine from the 6 mg gum observed in pharmacokinetic studies translate into a stronger, faster and longer relief of urges to smoke.
| Presenter biography Anna Hansson
Current position: Associate Director Pharmacokinetics at Global Clinical Research, McNeil AB Lund/Helsingborg, Sweden.
Education: M.Sc. in Pharmacy from Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Expertise: Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics studies. Have published 6 papers within the smoking cessation area.
| Source of funding: This study was funded by McNeil AB, Sweden.
| Declaration of interest: All three authors are employees of McNeil AB, Sweden.
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