Positive opinion from European Medicines Evaluation Agency brings innovative smoking-cessation treatment step closer to the Gulf

The CHMP's positive recommendation will be reviewed by the European Commission, which has authority to approve medicines for the European Union. With a final decision anticipated in the coming months, physicians are optimistic that the treatment will also be approved shortly for use in the Middle East.

Discovered and developed by Pfizer, Champix is a pill specifically designed as an aid to smoking cessation. Champix is believed to work by reducing the severity of the smoker's craving and many withdrawal symptoms from nicotine. Moreover, if a person smokes a cigarette while receiving treatment, Champix has the potential to diminish the sense of satisfaction associated with smoking.

"The Middle East is one of the few parts of the world where the number of smokers continues to rise, creating a serious economic and social cost, and impacting the lives of smokers and their families. By offering the first new prescription treatment for smoking cessation available in a decade, we are hoping that science can help smokers regain control of their lives and their health," said Dr. Ahmed El Hakim, director of external affairs with Pfizer Middle East.

"Globally, it is expected that half a billion people alive today will die from smoking-related causes," said Dr. Joseph Feczko, Pfizer's chief medical officer. "Champix represents a significant new discovery in the arena of smoking cessation research. Pfizer is pleased that the CHMP has recognized the potential therapeutic benefit of Champix in addressing this serious public health issue."

Smoking, the leading cause of preventable death worldwide, is responsible for five million deaths worldwide each year. In Europe alone, more than 1.2 million people die each year from a smoking related disease. By 2010, the WHO estimates the annual global cost of tobacco-related illness to be approximately $500 billion.

In the Middle East, according to WHO statistics, half of adult males are smokers. With a consumption rate of 2,280 cigarettes per person per year, Kuwait ranks 19th globally in tobacco consumption while Saudi Arabia is 23rd, at 2,130 per person. In total, the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as a whole spend US$ 800 million per year on tobacco.

In Egypt, the direct annual cost of treating diseases caused by tobacco use is estimated at US$ 545.5 million. Smoking causes 90% of lung cancer cases in Egypt.

There are 30,000 smoking-related deaths per year in countries of the GCC. With lung cancer topping the list of the region's ailments, 15% of the total medical costs in the GCC go towards the treatment of smoking-related illnesses.

"When it comes to smoking, preventive medicine is truly the best medicine. Smoking harms nearly every organ in the body and is the cause of many diseases including cardiovascular disease, cancer and respiratory disease," said Dr. Taisseer Al Masri, Head of Medical Department, Umm Al Quain Hospital & a Member of the Internal Medicine committee of the UAE's Ministry of Health "Helping smokers quit is one of the most important things a physician can do to improve their patients' overall health and reduce their risk of developing serious chronic conditions."