Efficacy of pharmacological methods used for treating tobacco dependence: meta-analysis

Objectives. The present study summarizes available evidence describing efficacy of pharmacological methods used in smoking cessation and presents the results of new meta-analyses examining their 12-month efficacy. This work represents part of a larger program examining the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of different methods used in smoking cessation. Patients and methods. The first part of the study included systematic review of literature to identify methods used in smoking cessation with efficacy confirmed on the basis of existing reliable systematic reviews or meta-analyses. In the second stage of the process, for the interventions judged both available in Poland (on the basis of literature search and interviews with healthcare providers) and efficacious, we have performed new meta-analyses designed to establish their 12-month efficacy (continuous or prolonged abstinence). Results. We found that the most comprehensive and up-to-date data were available in Cochrane reviews. Meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials performed in the second part of the work showed that adding pharmacological methods of smoking cessation available in Poland, such as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and bupropion, to nonpharmacological methods increased the probability of smoking cessation and smoking abstinence for ≥12 months by over 1.5 to about 3 times and the number needed to treat to have one patient stop smoking ranged from 8 to 21. Conclusions. We confirmed that pharmacological methods of smoking cessation available in Poland, such as NRT and bupropion, added to nonpharmacological methods increase the probability of smoking abstinence and we quantified 12-month effects of these interventions.