Champix increases risks for some people: study

TORONTO (CP) — The new year is a time when many smokers resolve to butt out for good. But a large Canadian study suggests a commonly prescribed tobaccocessation drug may carry a risk for some people.

The study found that people taking the medication Champix had a 34 per cent higher risk for a heart attack or other cardiovascular event, compared to periods when they weren't on the drug.

Champix is typically prescribed for 12 weeks.

Researchers at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Toronto compared cardiovascular events during that period to one year before and one year after the medication was taken.

Lead author Dr. Andrea Gershon says almost four cardiovascular events per 1,000 patients taking Champix could be linked to the drug, known generically as varenicline.

The study analyzed medical records for almost 57,000 Ontarians who began using Champix between 2011 and 2015.

During that period, 4,185 patients experienced one or more cardiovascular events requiring an ER visit or hospitalization. Those adverse events included heart attack, stroke, cardiac rhythm disorders, unstable angina and peripheral vascular disease.

The study was published online Wednesday in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

The authors say other studies have found that varenicline triples the odds of a person quitting smoking.