Dr Alys Havard and Dr Annelies Robijn presented at the NDARC Webinar Series on Thursday 26 May 2022.
In this presentation, the speakers reported the results of a series of three population-based cohort studies relating to the use and effects of smoking cessation pharmacotherapies. The first of these studies provided evidence on how the three smoking cessation pharmacotherapies available in Australia (nicotine replacement therapy, varenicline and bupropion) compare to each other in terms of cardiovascular safety.
The second study measured the prevalence of use of these pharmacotherapies among patients who were hospitalised in NSW for a major cardiovascular disease. Our third study, also based on patients who were hospitalised for a major cardiovascular disease, compared the effectiveness of nicotine replacement therapy and varenicline in preventing recurrent cardiovascular events.
About the speakers
Dr Alys Havard is a Senior Research Fellow based at both the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre and the Centre for Big Data Research in Health, UNSW Sydney. Her research uses linked administrative data to improve our understanding of how medicines are used at a population-level, and their safety and effectiveness in real world settings. She leads two main streams of research; one focuses on smoking cessation pharmacotherapies and the other on medicine use and safety during pregnancy.
Dr Annelies Robijn is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow based at both the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre and the Centre for Big Data Research in Health, UNSW Sydney. She completed her PhD at the University of Newcastle in 2021 on asthma medication use during pregnancy. She is currently working with Dr Havard on projects relating to smoking cessation pharmacotherapies in cardiovascular patient populations using linked administrative data.