Trial reportNicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco2021
A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial of Remote Varenicline Sampling to Promote Treatment Engagement and Smoking Cessation.
Trial report in Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions to induce attempts to quit tobacco among adults not ready to quit.Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology · 2023Pooled it
- Medication Samples and Smoking Cessation Among Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2026Trial
- Comparison of remote to hybrid methods on recruitment and retention rates in a smoking cessation trial.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2026Trial
- Varenicline Over-The-Counter Trial on Efficacy and Safety.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2024Trial
- The prospective relationship between a-priori intentions for and patterns of e-cigarette use among adults who smoke cigarettes.Addictive behaviors · 2024Trial
- Rationale, design, and protocol for a sequential, multiple assignment, randomized trial of adaptive treatment for smoking cessation: The ADAPT trial.Contemporary clinical trials · 2026Article
- Using digital tools in clinical, health and social care research: a mixed-methods study of UK stakeholders.BMJ open · 2024Article
- Estimates of prevalence, time-trend, and association of smoking in adults living with HIV, HBV, and HCV (NHANES 1999-2018).Scientific reports · 2022Article
- The Cost-Effectiveness of Nicotine Replacement Therapy Sampling in Primary Care: a Markov Cohort Simulation Model.Journal of general internal medicine · 2022Article
- E-cigarette use and change in plans to quit cigarette smoking among adult smokers in the United States: Longitudinal findings from the PATH Study 2014-2019.Addictive behaviors · 2022Article
- Impact of Nicotine Replacement Therapy Sampling on Cessation-Related Processes.Journal of addiction medicineArticle
- Effect of Funding Medications for Nicotine Dependence on Tobacco Control: A Narrative Review.Open respiratory archivesReview
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
introductionMedication sampling is a clinically useful tool to engage smokers in the quitting process. Whether varenicline is suitable for sampling purposes is unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility, uptake, and preliminary outcomes of varenicline sampling.
methodsSmokers (N = 99), both motivated to quit and not, were recruited and randomized to varenicline sampling versus not, with 12 week follow-up. The intervention consisted of mailing one-time samples of varenicline (lasting 2-4 wks), with minimally suggestive guidance on use.
resultsUptake of varenicline was strong, at 2 weeks (54% any use, 66% daily use) and 4 weeks (38%, 46%), with 58% of medication users seeking additional medication. Most users followed conventional titration patterns, self-titrating from 0.5 mg to 2 mg. Relative to control, varenicline sampling increased motivation (p = 0.006) and confidence to quit (p = 0.02), and decreased cigarette smoking (p = 0.02). Smokers receiving varenicline samples were significantly more likely to achieve 50% reduction in cigarettes per day (CPD), both immediately following the sampling exercise (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] = 4.12; 95% CI: 1.39 to 12.17) and at final follow-up (AOR = 4.50; 95% CI: 1.56 to 13.01). Though cessation outcomes were not statistically significant, there was a 1.5 to 3-fold increase in quit attempts and abstinence from varenicline sampling throughout follow-up. These outcomes were comparable among smokers motivated to quit and not.
conclusionsUnguided, user-driven sampling of varenicline sampling is a concrete behavioral exercise that is feasible to do and seems to suggest clinical utility. Sampling is a pragmatic clinical approach to engage more smokers in quitting. IMPLICATIONS: Use of evidence-based pharmacotherapies for smoking cessation is low. Medication sampling is a pragmatic behavioral exercise that allows smokers to experience the benefits of using them, while promoting positive downstream effects towards quitting. While previous studies have shown that nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) sampling is viable and effective, whether this extends to varenicline is unclear. Results from this trial demonstrate that varenicline sampling is feasible, safe, and suggestive of clinically important steps toward quitting, deserving of a larger trial. CLINICAL
trial registrationNCT #03742154.
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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.