Air Traffic Controllers Banned From Using Chantix
US airport workers including air traffic controllers and pilots have been banned from using the anti-smoking drug Chantix by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The FAA took the action after reviewing a study by non-profit Institute for Safe Medication Practices, published on Wednesday 21st May.
The Institute's study claimed that serious physical and mental problems can result from using Chantix.
FAA spokesman Les Dorr said the agency took the action because it was convinced by the weight of evidence in the study.
Dorr commented that the FAA will send formal letters to pilots, air traffic controllers and other people "we know are taking" the anti smoking drug to stop taking it.
Sources report that 150 pilots and 30 air traffic controllers are known to be using the drug.
Chantix Side Effects
The Institute's study claimed that Chantix has "very serious" side effects.
It said loss of consciousness, dizziness, abnormanal muscle spasms, lapses in alertness and seizures were all found to be side effects among the users of the drug.
The report said: "We have immediate safety concerns about the use of varenicline (Chantix) among persons operating aircraft, trains, buses and other vehicles, or in other settings where a lapse in alertness or motor control could lead to massive, serious injury".
This led to the FAA making its decision to ban key airport workers from taking the drug because of concerns over whether it would pose a threat to the safe operation of aircraft.
Chantix, which is manufactured by the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, has been on the market since 2006 and was only certified for use by the FAA last year.
The drug works by partly blocking and partly stimulating a nicotine receptor in the brain. Clinical studies showed it helped smokers quit.
Chantix Public Health Advisory
The Institute's report and the FAA decision come just months after a US Food and Drug Administration issued a Public Health Advisory, which said some Chantix users had developed a number of physical and even pyschiatric problems.
The Food and Drug Administration said yesterday that it would be carrying out a special safety review of Chantix, and that it would be requiring pharmacists to provide a medication guide to patients warning of the potential side effects.
Pfizer defended the report, saying: "It is important to understand the limitations of spontaneous adverse event reporting. Often these reports lack sufficient medical information and/or have confounding factors that prevent a meaningful assessment of causality".
The company added that it had added stronger warnings to the drug's label after the Food and Drug Administration report, and that it was up to healthcare providers to fully discuss the use of the drug with their patients.
Source - Airport International's US Correspondent
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