Cytisine versus varenicline for smoking cessation aims to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of cytisine compared to varenicline to inform Australian and international health agencies. This presentation will provide an update on the progress of the clinical trial.
Cytisine is a well-tolerated smoking cessation treatment that is superior to placebo and nicotine replacement therapy. Like varenicline, cytisine is a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor partial agonist, yet has never been formally compared against varenicline.
Cytisine has the lowest cost per quality-adjusted-life-year of all smoking cessation medications, and modelling suggests cytisine may be more cost-effective than varenicline.
Findings from the Cytisine versus varenicline for smoking cessation trial are vital for informing policy makers around the world, given the opportunity for significant health-care system savings, particularly for low- and middle-income countries where the majority of cessation medications are cost-prohibitive.
Speaker bio:
Dr Ryan Courtney, Senior Research Fellow and NHMRC Career Development Fellow, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC)
Dr Courtney leads the Tobacco Research Group at NDARC, UNSW Sydney and is a clinical trialist with expertise in smoking cessation and social disadvantage research.