For Health Professionals

Helping people stop smoking is highly cost effective and an important means of preventing chronic diseases such as heart disease, lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

ASH provides guidance on the latest developments and evidence to help people stop smoking.

• Smoking Cessation Services

  In England and Wales the NHS provides dedicated Stop Smoking Services, which offer counselling and support to smokers wanting to quit. People attendi

• Varenicline or Champix

  Varenicline is a new type of non-nicotine medication specifically designed for smoking cessation. Varenicline was approved by the FDA in the US in Ma

• NRT or Nicotine Replacement Therapies

  In the UK, smokers wanting an aid to quitting can choose from a wide range of nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) including gum, patches and inhaler

• Buproprion or Zyban

  Burpoprion (drug name) or Zyban (brand name) is a prescription-only drug taken as a course of tablets lasting around 8 weeks. It is safe for mos

• Smoking Reduction

  About half of all smokers try to reduce the amount they smoke but few succeed. However, studies have shown that smokers who want to cut down but are

• Research and External Links

  Smoking cessation services statistics NHS data on England's stop smoking services (external links) Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services: England

• NICE Guidance on Smoking

  The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued the following guidance documents on smoking cessation:...