ArticleAddiction (Abingdon, England)2018
An RCT with the combination of varenicline and bupropion for smoking cessation: clinical implications for front line use.
Article in Addiction (Abingdon, England), 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT00943618 (Effectiveness of Varenicline vs. Varenicline Plus Bupropion or Placebo for Smoking Cessation), which is not on this map. Cited by 13 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.
Effectiveness of Varenicline vs. Varenicline Plus Bupropion or Placebo for Smoking Cessation
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- Korean Clinical Practice Guideline of Korean Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (KSRNT) and National Evidence-based Healthcare Collaborating Agency (NECA) on Treatment of Tobacco Use 2024.Journal of Korean medical science · 2025Guideline
- Nicotine receptor partial agonists for smoking cessation.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Antidepressants for smoking cessation.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020Pooled it
- Personalizing smoking cessation pharmacotherapy using neuroaffective reactivity profiles: A randomized controlled trial.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2026Trial
- Characterization of Cognitive-Behavioral Counseling Duration Thresholds for Effective Tobacco Treatment.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2026Trial
- Neuropharmacology of Nicotine Addiction and Therapeutic Strategies for Smoking Cessation.Biology · 2026Review
- A Pharmacological Update and Safety Analysis of Medications for Smoking Cessation: Which Ones to Use?Current pharmaceutical design · 2026Review
- Enhancing translation: A need to leverage complex preclinical models of addictive drugs to accelerate substance use treatment options.Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior · 2024Review
- Deep sequencing of candidate genes identified 14 variants associated with smoking abstinence in an ethnically diverse sample.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- The Effects of Scheduled Smoking Reduction and Precessation Nicotine Replacement Therapy on Smoking Cessation: Randomized Controlled Trial With Compliance.JMIR formative research · 2023Article
- Medication Adherence in Tobacco Cessation Clinical Trials.Addiction neuroscience · 2023Article
- Antidepressants for smoking cessation.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsDespite the availability of several efficacious smoking cessation treatments, fewer than 25% of smokers who quit remain abstinent 1 year post-treatment. This study aimed to determine if varenicline and bupropion combination treatment would result in higher abstinence rates than varenicline alone.
designA double-blind, randomized, parallel-group smoking cessation clinical trial in which participants were exposed to 12 weeks of treatment and followed for 12 months.
settingHospital-based out-patient clinic in Texas, USA specializing in cancer prevention.
participantsA total of 385 community smokers (58.44% male) who smoked 1 pack of cigarettes/day [mean = 19.66 cigarettes/day, standard deviation (SD) = 9.45]; had average carbon monoxide (CO) of 26.43 parts per million (SD = 13.74); and were moderately dependent (Fagerström Test for Cigarette Dependence = 4.79; SD = 2.07). INTERVENTIONS AND COMPARATOR: Smokers were randomized in a 3 : 1 (active: Placebo) ratio to 12 weeks of treatment as follows: placebo (n = 56), varenicline (Var; n = 166), and varenicline + bupropion (Combo; n = 163). MEASUREMENTS: A priori primary outcome: prolonged abstinence at 12 months. SECONDARY OUTCOMES: 7-day point prevalence abstinence and continuous abstinence; all abstinence measures at end of treatment and 6-month follow-ups.
findingsIntention-to-treat analysis: the Combo group (n = 163) failed to demonstrate superiority to the Var group (n = 166) for prolonged abstinence at 12 months [odds ratio (OR) = 0.91, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.50-1.64], supported by Bayes factor = 0.06. Both the Var (OR = 6.66, 95% CI = 1.61-59.27) and Combo groups (OR = 6.06, 95% CI = 1.45-54.09) demonstrated superiority to the Placebo group (n = 56; score = 8.38, P < 0.016).
conclusionsThe addition of bupropion to varenicline treatment does not appear to increase smoking abstinence rates above that of varenicline alone. The findings support previous research showing a consistently favorable effect of both varenicline and the combination of varenicline and bupropion on smoking cessation compared with placebo.
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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.