SAN FRANCISCO – An intensive smoking-cessation program helped 33% of 202 patients in drug treatment quit smoking, an intent-to-treat analysis found.
A high proportion of patients in treatment for substance use also smoke cigarettes and have a hard time quitting, with previous studies suggesting quit rates of 5%-12%, Dr. Milan Khara said at the meeting.
The study enrolled 252 patients who were in drug treatment programs in 8 weeks of group therapy for smoking cessation plus free pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation during the group therapy and for up to an additional 18 weeks, for a total program length of 26 weeks, said Dr. Khara of the University of British Columbia, Vancouver.
The overall quit-smoking rate of 33% in the intent-to-treat analysis was exceeded by a quit rate of 43% among 152 patients who completed the program.
Among these completers, the quit rate was 51% in those who attended the 8 weeks of smoking-cessation group therapy and participated in after-care, compared with 18% of completers who only attended the 8 weeks of group therapy. About 80% of people in drug treatment programs smoke tobacco. “Within addiction services, we've largely had a blind spot about tobacco,” Dr. Khara said. “We often believe that these patients don't want to quit smoking,” but other studies have shown that 44%-80% of patients in drug treatment expressed interest in quitting.
Disclosures: Dr. Khara has received funding from or been a consultant for Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, which make smoking-cessation medications. Johnson & Johnson and divisions of the Canadian government funded provision of medications in the study.