Champix

Since Champix (varenicline) and Zyntabac (bupropion) were withdrawn from the market by the same pharmaceutical companies, Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline respectively, Spain has been in extreme difficulty in its anti-smoking strategy.

In fact, the national health system subsidised both medicines in support of the campaign to stop smoking, but both were permanently withdrawn from the market several months ago because their composition contained nitrosamines, a compound considered carcinogenic.

This difficulty led the national health system to focus on a new drug produced in Poland, Todacitan, based on the plant active ingredient cytisine, on which the entire funding was channelled in support of the anti-smoking campaign.

Todacitan, characteristics

Todacitan is nothing more than a copy of the more famous Tabex, a natural supplement based on cytisine, first marketed in Bulgaria and eastern countries as early as 1964; suffice it to say that around 50 years ago, when no smoking cessation aid had been approved in western Europe, cytisine was already being used for this purpose in central and eastern Europe.

Cytisine is a very effective smoking cessation aid and at the same time very cheap compared to any other smoking cessation method; cytisine is in fact very similar to nicotine, binds to the same receptor in the brain and reduces the desire to smoke at the same time as almost completely eliminating nicotine withdrawal symptoms.

Todacitan is produced by Aflofarm, one of Poland’s largest pharmaceutical companies; it has been marketing Tadocitan for over a year and, thanks to state subsidies, it costs EUR 116 in Spain for a 25-day cycle as opposed to the EUR 198 normal retail price. A proposal that is making the product literally fly off the shelves, especially because of the recognised effectiveness of the active ingredient citisin in the fight against smoking.

For use, dosage, contraindications and further details, please refer to our dedicated page here.

Editorial Staff Tabex Shop