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Current guidelines recommend 8 weeks of transdermal nicotine for patients with tobacco dependence. To assess whether extended use would lead to better outcomes, researchers randomized 568 long-term smokers to transdermal nicotine (21 mg) for 8 weeks (followed by 16 weeks of placebo) or for 24 weeks.
Seven-day abstinence (self-reported, verified by carbon monoxide levels) at 24 weeks was more likely to occur in the extended-treatment group than in the short-term group (32% vs. 20%); similarly, continuous abstinence from the quit date was more likely to occur in the extended-treatment group (19% vs. 13%). However, no differences were noted in 7-day (14%) or continuous abstinence (1%) at 52 weeks.
From weeks 9 to 24 (when one group was receiving…