Adding Bupropion to Varenicline Doesn't Improve Long-Term Smoking Abstinence

Theoretically, treating tobacco dependence with a combination of smoking-cessation drugs could result in higher abstinence rates, compared with monotherapy. To assess this possibility, investigators in Minnesota conducted a controlled trial in which 506 adults (mean age, 42) who smoked at least 10 cigarettes daily for at least 6 months (mean smoking duration, 23 years) and were free of serious medical and psychiatric illnesses were randomized to receive varenicline (Chantix; titrated to a maximum dose of 1 mg twice daily) plus either bupropion SR (Wellbutrin SR; titrated to a maximum dose of 150 mg twice daily) or placebo. All participants received regular behavioral counseling. About 62% of participants in each group completed the 52-week …