Combining two smoking cessation therapies ‘may offer efficacy benefits’

Using a combination of different smoking cessation therapies could be beneficial for male smokers.

This is the conclusion of a new study from the Duke University Medical Center, which suggests that introducing additional smoking cessation aids may be more effective than just one for those who were not initially helped by a nicotine patch.

Researchers enrolled 349 adults who reported smoking ten or more cigarettes a day, with treatment options such as nicotine replacement, bupropion and varenicline all utilised.

Smokers who were both male and highly dependent saw the greatest benefit of the combination of treatments, with lighter smokers and women showing no significant response.

Study lead author Dr Jed Rose, director of the Duke Center for Smoking Cessation, said: "The findings offer a potential practical treatment approach that can identify smokers who don't respond to a single conventional treatment, but may benefit enormously from a combination of treatments."

NHS estimates show that smoking is responsible for one in every five deaths in adults aged over 35 in England. Moreover, half of all long-term smokers will die prematurely due to a smoking-related disease.