Varenicline will become another option for people using the services of the public health system in England to quit smoking. The generic drug belongs to the pharmaceutical company Teva UK.
The British National Health Service (NHS) will offer a "revolutionary" pill to thousands of smokers who are trying to quit smoking.
According to the NHS, Sky News cites, it is varenicline, a medicine that may be more effective than nicotine replacement tablets or patches.
The daily tablet aims to reduce the cravings and pleasurable effects of nicotine that keep people addicted, and helps combat withdrawal symptoms such as irritability.
Typically, treatment lasts 12 weeks.
University College London estimates that the medicine could help more than 85,000 people a year and prevent up to 9,500 smoking-related deaths over the next five years.
The British press recalls that a branded version of this tablet, known as Champix, was previously prescribed but then withdrawn by Pfizer in 2021 as a precaution after an impurity was discovered.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 company Teva UK, has now been approved and designated as safe by the Medicines Health and Regulatory Authority.
Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of NHS England, said supplying varenicline will save taxpayers more than £500 million.
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