SynthesisJournal of the American Heart Association2016
Varenicline and Adverse Cardiovascular Events: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.
Synthesis in Journal of the American Heart Association, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 3 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
25 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 71 citations in OpenAlex.
- Nicotine receptor partial agonists for smoking cessation.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Nicotine receptor partial agonists for smoking cessation.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2016Pooled it
- Placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial testing the efficacy and safety of varenicline for smokers with HIV.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2019Trial
- Cardiovascular Safety of Varenicline, Bupropion, and Nicotine Patch in Smokers: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA internal medicine · 2018Trial
- Smoking abstinence 1 year after acute coronary syndrome: follow-up from a randomized controlled trial of varenicline in patients admitted to hospital.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2018Trial
- Genetic risk stratification and preventive strategies for double primary HNSCC and ESCC: a single-center cohort study.Esophagus : official journal of the Japan Esophageal Society · 2026Article
- Cytisine for smoking cessation in hospitalised smokers with cardiovascular diseases: an observational study.Internal and emergency medicine · 2025Observational
- The Effect of Varenicline on Smoking Cessation in Hospitalized Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Addiction & health · 2024Review
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Smoking Increase the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: Smoking Cessation Pharmacotherapy.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Review
- Primary and Secondary Prevention of CAD: A Review.The International journal of angiology : official publication of the International College of Angiology, Inc · 2022Article
- Improving smoking cessation after myocardial infarction by systematically implementing evidence-based treatment methods.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Comparison of Cardiovascular Safety for Smoking Cessation Pharmacotherapies in a Population-Based Cohort in Australia.JAMA network open · 2021Article
- Risk of neuropsychiatric and cardiovascular adverse events following treatment with varenicline and nicotine replacement therapy in the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink: a case-cross-over study.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2021Article
- Pharmacological Approach to Smoking Cessation: An Updated Review for Daily Clinical Practice.High blood pressure & cardiovascular prevention : the official journal of the Italian Society of Hypertension · 2020Review
- The Use of the Nicotine Metabolite Ratio as a Biomarker to Personalize Smoking Cessation Treatment: Current Evidence and Future Directions.Cancer prevention research (Philadelphia, Pa.) · 2020Review
- Current advances in research in treatment and recovery: Nicotine addiction.Science advances · 2019Review
- Prevention and Treatment of Tobacco Use: JACC Health Promotion Series.Journal of the American College of Cardiology · 2018Review
- Smoking resumption after heart or lung transplantation: a systematic review and suggestions for screening and management.Journal of thoracic disease · 2018Review
- Cost-effectiveness of increasing the reach of smoking cessation interventions in Germany: results from the EQUIPTMOD.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundVarenicline is an efficacious smoking-cessation drug. However, previous meta-analyses provide conflicting results regarding its cardiovascular safety. The publication of several new randomized controlled trials (RCTs) provides an opportunity to reassess this potential adverse drug reaction. METHODS AND
resultsWe searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library for RCTs that compare varenicline with placebo for smoking cessation. RCTs reporting cardiovascular serious adverse events and/or all-cause mortality during the treatment period or within 30 days of treatment discontinuation were eligible for inclusion. Relative risks (RRs) with 95% CIs were generated by using DerSimonian-Laird random-effects models. Thirty-eight RCTs met our inclusion criteria (N=12 706). Events were rare in both varenicline (57/7213) and placebo (43/5493) arms. No difference was observed for cardiovascular serious adverse events when comparing varenicline with placebo (RR 1.03, 95% CI 0.72-1.49). Similar findings were obtained when examining cardiovascular (RR 1.04, 95% CI 0.57-1.89) and noncardiovascular patients (RR 1.03, 95% CI 0.64-1.64). Deaths were rare in both varenicline (11/7213) and placebo (9/5493) arms. Although 95% CIs were wide, pooling of all-cause mortality found no difference between groups (RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.50-1.52), including when stratified by participants with (RR 1.24, 95% CI 0.40-3.83) and without (RR 0.77, 95% CI 0.40-1.48) cardiovascular disease.
conclusionsWe found no evidence that varenicline increases the rate of cardiovascular serious adverse events. Results were similar among those with and without cardiovascular disease. Given varenicline's efficacy as a smoking cessation drug and the long-term cardiovascular benefits of cessation, it should continue to be prescribed for smoking cessation.
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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.