By IANS
Mumbai : City-based $172-million Pfizer India Ltd, part of US pharmaceutical multinational Pfizer Inc, Tuesday launched the Varenicline prescription drug in India that helps smokers to kick their nicotine addiction.
Varenicline, to be sold under the brand name Champix in India, is Pfizer’s hugely successful smoking cessation drug introduced in the US and Europe in 2006.
Unlike nicotine replacement therapies like nicotine patches or gum, Varenicline reduces cravings for nicotine and decreases the pleasurable effects of cigarettes and other tobacco products, which might help some addicts to kick the habit.
The company recommends a prescription course of 12 weeks for Varenicline, which will be available in 17 cities across India.
Speaking at the launch, Kewal Handa, managing director of Pfizer India, said: “Pfizer’s Champix is the most innovative and effective oral smoking cessation product to be approved by the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in the last 10 years.”
“It has benefited over 5.7 million people since its worldwide launch in mid-2006. We are confident that Champix will provide the same level of benefits to smokers in India and contribute to a healthier world,” he added.
Anjan Chatterjee, medical director of Pfizer India, said: “The holistic Champix therapy is designed to provide the necessary physiological and psychological support to the smoker.”