Alza, Ciba-Geigy Corp., Elan Pharmaceutical Research Corp., Cygnus Therapeutics other research news

A review of 17 blinded comparison trials of transdermal nicotine patches with placebos showed that the patch allowed smokers to quit twice as often when counseling was included for both groups.

As published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, limiting patch use to eight weeks or less could produce savings of up to $100 million, as compared to the more typical, 10- to 18-week duration of use. About $300 million was spent on nicotine patches in 1993, the article authors noted. ...