‘Game-changer’ stop-smoking pill varenicline to be offered on NHS
A “game-changer” pill is to be offered to tens of thousands of smokers in England who are trying to quit.
Varenicline can be more effective than nicotine-replacement gum or patches, and as effective as vapes, in helping people to stop smoking, according to NHS England.
The daily pill is said to reduce cravings and the pleasurable effects of nicotine that keep people addicted.
It also helps with withdrawal symptoms such as irritability or sleeping problems and patients usually take a 12-week course.
It’s estimated it could help more than 85,000 people per year and prevent up to 9,500 smoking-related deaths over the next five years, according to University College London (UCL).
Varenicline will become another option for people using NHS stop smoking services in England.
A branded version of the smoking cessation pill – known as Champix – was previously prescribed, but then withdrawn by Pfizer in 2021 as a precaution after an impurity was discovered.
However, the NHS said a generic version of the drug, from pharmaceutical firm Teva UK, has now been approved as safe by the Medicines Health and Regulatory Authority (MHRA).
It said another pill that works in a similar way, cytisine, is also being reviewed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and could be made available in the future.
Supplying varenicline is part of an effort to make more effective treatments available while saving more than £500m for the taxpayer, said NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard.
In a speech later, she will say the pill could be “a game-changer” for smokers. Meanwhile, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said it would save lives and millions of pounds for the NHS.
“Taken alongside our tobacco and vapes bill, the government and NHS are building a healthy society to help power a healthy economy,” said Mr Streeting.
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Dr Ian Walker, Cancer Research UK’s policy chief, said: “It’s great news that the NHS is making varenicline an option for people trying to quit.
“Along with funding for cessation services, making tools like this available will help more people stop smoking.”
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Around six million people – one in eight UK adults – are smokers and there were more than 400,000 hospital admissions in England attributed to smoking in 2022-23, according to the NHS.
Around one in six (16%) of all admissions for respiratory diseases were estimated to be smoking-related, while it also caused 8% of admissions for cancers and 7% for cardiovascular disease.
Each year, the NHS spends around £2.5bn on treating health issues caused by smoking – the leading cause of preventable illness and deaths.
A 53-year-old man has been charged after a car was driven into a crowd at Liverpool FC’s trophy parade.
Paul Doyle, from the West Derby area of Liverpool, has been charged with seven offences, Merseyside Police said.
The businessman, who is a father-of-three, is accused of two counts of unlawful and malicious wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and two counts of causing unlawful and malicious grievous bodily harm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Paul Doyle
Doyle is also accused of two counts of attempted unlawful and malicious grievous bodily harm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and one count of dangerous driving.
He is due to appear before Liverpool Magistrates Court on Friday.
The charges relate to six people, including two children. A wounding charge and an attempted grievous bodily harm charge relate to a child.
A police car was outside Doyle’s four-bedroom detached family home in the West Derby area on Thursday morning.
According to his social media, he has travelled extensively including Japan, Fiji, India and Australia. Doyle has posted pictures of himself competing in triathlons, and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
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New Liverpool incident footage
Thousands of fans were gathered in Liverpool city centre on Monday to celebrate the Premier League champions’ title win when a car struck a crowd on Water Street.
Police said a total of 79 people were injured in the incident, with the youngest aged nine, and the oldest being a 78-year-old.
Seven people remain in hospital in a stable condition.
Forensic officers at the scene in Water Street. Pic: PA
‘Huge volume of evidence’
Chief crown prosecutor for the CPS Mersey-Cheshire, Sarah Hammond, told a news conference on Thursday that the investigation was at an early stage and a “huge volume of evidence” was being reviewed.
“This includes multiple pieces of video footage and numerous witness statements. It is important to ensure that every victim gets the justice they deserve.
“The charges will be kept under review as the investigation progresses.”
Police ‘working tirelessly’
Also at the briefing where the charges were announced was Assistant Chief Constable of Merseyside Police, Jenny Sims, who said: “I fully understand how this incident has left us all shocked and saddened, and I know many will continue to have concerns and questions.
“Our detectives are working tirelessly, with diligence and professionalism, to seek the answer to all of those questions. When we are able to, we will provide further information.”
The youngest victim injured in the Liverpool parade crash on Monday is nine years old, police have said.
They added that the oldest is 78, with all 79 people injured understood to be British. Seven remain in hospital in a stable condition.
Merseyside Police declined to say what drug the 53-year-old man arrested over the incident is alleged to have taken.
“We wouldn’t go into this detail at this stage of the investigation,” the force said.
Police at the scene in Liverpool. Pic: AP
Forensic officers in Water Street. Pic: PA
Police are still questioning the driver and were granted further time to do so on Wednesday.
Officers have until Thursday evening to question the man from West Derby.
He is in custody on suspicion of attempted murder, dangerous driving and drug driving.
Police believe the car which struck pedestrians was able to follow an ambulance crew attending to someone suffering a heart attack after a road block was temporarily lifted.
Hundreds of thousands of Liverpool fans had turned out to celebrate their team’s Premier League title when the incident unfolded on Water Street just after 6pm on Monday.
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‘My boy in his pram, got bounced’
‘The best day of my life turned into worst’
Sky News interviewed a lifelong Liverpool fan who said his five-month-old son was “bounced” 15ft (4.6m) in his pram after they were hit by the vehicle.
The child was not counted in the police’s injury tally.
Daniel Eveson, 36, also said his partner had been driven over.
“The best day of my life turned into [the] worst,” Mr Eveson said.
He added: “Me and my partner were flat on the roof, on the bonnet… we were just both trying to hold on for dear life with Ted next to us.
“And my partner went under the wheels of the car, of the front of the car, and it rolled over her leg, and I just bounced off to the side, but my boy and his pram got bounced totally in the opposite direction – about 15ft down the road.”
Read more:
How the parade crash unfolded
Police given more time to question Liverpool suspect
Why police released ‘unprecedented’ details
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer travelled to Liverpool to meet with police chiefs and the local metro mayor.
He said he was being kept informed of developments, adding: “The scenes on Monday were just awful, to see how incredible joy at an amazing achievement turned to horror in a moment.”
Messages of support have been sent to the people of Liverpool, including from the King who said: “I know that the strength of community spirit for which your city is renowned will be a comfort and support to those in need.”
The Prince and Princess of Wales said they were “deeply saddened” by the incident.
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