An Effectiveness Trial of Maintenance Therapy for Nicotine Dependence

The transdermal nicotine patch is the most widely used form of tobacco dependence treatment in the US and Europe, but most smokers are unable to successfully quit with this form of treatment. Failure to respond to this treatment may, to a large extent, be due to the use of nicotine patches for only 8 weeks, the recommended treatment duration. We have found in a controlled randomized clinical trial that using the nicotine patch for 24 weeks can increase quit rates significantly. We propose here a clinical trial to replicate and extend these results to a community setting in the real-world, using the same research design utilized in clinical trials to demonstrate the effectiveness of methadone maintenance therapy for opiate dependence. Specifically, 540 smokers will receive counseling and standard (8-weeks), extended (24-weeks), or maintenance (52 weeks) therapy with transdermal nicotine patches. The main outcome is biochemically-verified smoking cessation at week 52. The cost-effectiveness, safety, and mechanism of effect (e.g., promotion of recovery following a lapse) for maintenance therapy with transdermal nicotine will also be assessed. The study results may change how we treat nicotine dependence with transdermal nicotine.

Inclusion Criteria: Participants will be: 1) males and females over age 18 who smoke at least 10 cigarettes/day; 2) able to communicate in English; 3) able to use NRT safely (e.g., no allergy to latex, no serious abnormal ECG reading); 4) able to provide written informed consent for study procedures; and 5) residing in the geographic area for at least 12 months. Exclusion Criteria: Participants will be ineligible for the trial if they: 1) are unable to communicate in English; 2) Have a current diagnosis of psychosis and/or manic depression; 3) have a current medical condition that would make using transdermal nicotine patch unsafe (e.g., allergy to latex, serious, abnormal ECG reading)- participants with asthma, diabetes, hypertension, or heart disease (e.g., coronary artery disease, abnormal heart rhythm, an arrhythmia) will be permitted to enroll in the study with medical clearance from the participant's physician or the study physician; 4) have had a heart attack within the past 6 months, 5) are pregnant or planning to become pregnant or lactating, or 6) are currently enrolled or plan to enroll in another research or smoking cessation program within the next 12 months.