Study Links Chantix to Suicide Risk, but FDA Disagrees
Researchers Say Anti-Smoking Drug Is Linked to Risk of Suicide; FDA and Drugmaker Disagree
By Salynn Boyles
WebMD Health News
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD
Nov. 3, 2011 — Just over a week after federal health officials released a report finding no evidence of an increased risk of serious psychiatric problems in users of the anti-smoking drug Chantix, a new study comes to the opposite conclusion.
Investigators who were the first to link the drug to suicidal behavior and depression say the new research suggests that Chantix may be too risky to use as a first treatment for smoking cessation and should only be used when other treatments have failed.
Representatives of FDA and Pfizer, the drug’s manufacturer, strongly disagree with the new study findings.
