Pfizer's Smoking-Cessation Pill Chantix Fails in Adolescent Study

   By Cara Lombardo

Chantix, a medication from Pfizer Inc. (PFE) used to help people quit smoking, failed in a study designed to test its effectiveness on smokers between the ages of 12 and 19.

The study examined the safety and efficacy of varenicline, marketed in the U.S. as Chantix, for smoking cessation in nicotine-dependent preteens and teens. When compared to a placebo, Chantix didn't meet the primary endpoint of a four-week continuous abstinence rate in the final weeks of the 12-week study, Pfizer said Friday.

Chantix, known as Champix in Europe and other countries, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2006 to help adults quit smoking.

The study was a regulatory post-marketing commitment for Chantix and Champix in the U.S. and Europe. The study data will be submitted to the FDA for pediatric exclusivity determination, Pfizer said.

Pfizer shares fell 1% in premarket trading.

Write to Cara Lombardo at cara.lombardo@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 23, 2018 08:55 ET (12:55 GMT)

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024