According to a rigorous long-term study of so-called nicotine replacement therapy, nicotine gum and patches that millions of smokers use to help kick their habit have no lasting benefit and may backfire in some cases.

BENTONVILLE, Ark., Dec.

PARSIPPANY, N.J., Nov.

Smokers who take the anti-smoking drug Chantix are not at higher risk of being hospitalized for psychiatric events such as depression, compared with smokers who use nicotine patches.

PARSIPPANY, N.J., July 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly half of all smokers in the United States attempt to quit at least once per year, yet the majority of these efforts fail.(1) One factor contributing to the low annual rate of successful cessation is that the majority of quit attempts are made without evidence-based treatment such as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT).(1) Despite doubling a smoker's chance of quitting,(1) cessation aids are still infrequently used.(1) Findings from a study appearing in a recent issue of the journal Addictive Behaviors demonstrate that there are widely held misperceptions about the health effects of using NRT, and that correcting these misperceptions may increase NRT use and thereby reduce smoking rates.(1) The study, which was fielded in partnership by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare (GSK) and Legacy®, reported that smokers are misinformed about the safety and efficacy of smoking cessation aids.(1) Specifically, 93 percent of smokers did not kno