SynthesisBMC public health2015
Combination therapy of varenicline with nicotine replacement therapy is better than varenicline alone: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Synthesis in BMC public health, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT01926041 (The Effectiveness of Smoking Cessation in Prediabetic Smokers), which is not on this map. Cited by 44 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
The Effectiveness of Smoking Cessation in Prediabetic Smokers
Who cites it
44 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 109 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy of combined varenicline and nicotine replacement therapy compared with varenicline or nicotine replacement therapy alone for smoking cessation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2026Pooled it
- Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ) Guidance for the Management of Electronic Cigarette Use (Vaping) in Adolescents and Adults.Respirology (Carlton, Vic.) · 2025Guideline
- Effects of varenicline and bupropion on laboratory smoking outcomes: Meta-analysis of randomized, placebo-controlled human laboratory studies.Addiction biology · 2022Pooled it
- Efficacy and safety of iguratimod combined with methotrexate vs. methotrexate alone in rheumatoid arthritis : A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Zeitschrift fur Rheumatologie · 2021Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Emergency Department-Initiated Tobacco Control: Update of a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Preventing chronic disease · 2017Pooled it
- Time-varying mediated effects of the nicotine patch on smoking before and after a quit attempt when it is added to varenicline and counseling.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2026Trial
- Automated Tobacco Cessation Intervention for Parents in Pediatric Primary Care: A Cluster-Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2025Trial
- Varenicline and Nicotine Replacement Therapy for Smokers Admitted to Hospitals: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2024Trial
- Economic Evaluation of Enhanced vs Standard Varenicline Treatment for Tobacco Cessation.JAMA network open · 2024Trial
- Trial
- Exenatide Adjunct to Nicotine Patch Facilitates Smoking Cessation and May Reduce Post-Cessation Weight Gain: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2021Trial
- Impact of large-scale distribution and subsequent use of free nicotine patches on primary care physician interaction.BMC public health · 2017Trial
- Predictors of smoking reduction outcomes in a sample of 287 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2017Trial
- Impact and Duration of Brief Surgeon-Delivered Smoking Cessation Advice on Attitudes Regarding Nicotine Dependence and Tobacco Harms for Patients with Peripheral Arterial Disease.Annals of vascular surgery · 2017Trial
- Combination Treatment With Varenicline and Nicotine Patch on Smoking Cessation Outcomes in Heavy Drinkers at 26-Week Follow-up.Journal of clinical psychopharmacologyTrial
- Smoking Cessation Strategies After Acute Coronary Syndrome.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Personalized and adaptive interventions for smoking cessation: Emerging trends and determinants of efficacy.iScience · 2024Review
- Predictors and health outcomes of cigarette and shisha smoking among men in Gaza: a cross-sectional study.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Predictors and health outcomes of tobacco smoking among the population of Gaza: A large-scale study.Research square · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSmoking is a major preventable cause of morbidity and premature death worldwide. Both varenicline and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) help achieve smoking cessation. However, limited evidence exists regarding whether combination of varenicline and NRT is more effective than either alone. The aim of this research was to investigate the efficacy and safety of varenicline combined with NRT.
methodsA systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, ClinicalTrial.gov, and Cochrane Library was conducted in November 2014. Two authors independently reviewed and selected randomized controlled trials. The quality of the studies was evaluated by the Jadad score. We carried out meta-analysis of both early (abstinence rate assessed before or at the end of treatment) and late (assessed after the end of the treatment) outcomes.
resultsThree randomized controlled trials with 904 participants were included in this meta-analysis. All three were comparing combination therapy with varenicline therapy alone. The late outcomes were assessed in 2 of the 3 trials. Both the early and late outcomes were favorable for combination therapy (OR = 1.50, 95 % CI 1.14 to 1.97; OR = 1.62, 95 % CI 1.18 to 2.23, respectively). However, this significance diminished after eliminating a study with pre-cessation treatment using nicotine patch. The most common adverse events were nausea, insomnia, abnormal dreams, and headache. One study reported more skin reactions (14.4 % vs 7.8 %; p = 0.03) associated with combination therapy.
conclusionsCombination therapy is more effective than varenicline alone, especially if pre-cessation treatment of nicotine patch is administrated. Adverse events of combination therapy are similar to mono-therapy except for skin reactions.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.