The FDA wants Pfizer (the manufacturer of Chantix) and GlaxoSmithKline, (the maker of another commonly prescribed smoking cessation drug, Zyban), to amplify warnings about the serious reactions users of the drugs may experience. The agency announced today that it would require the drug companies to put boxed warnings on product labeling for Chantix and Zyban. Zyban (bupropion hydrochloride) is also marketed as Wellbutrin when prescribed as an antidepressant.

In response to a number of recent reports of serious side effects associated with the stop-smoking medication Chantix, Beasley Allen has launched a web site that outlines the problems associated with the drug, manufactured by Pfizer. The web site, www.chantix-legal.com, provides information to help patients identify risks associated with Chantix.

Department of Veterans Affairs watchdogs have concluded that the department failed to alert veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder in a timely manner to the dangers posed by a drug it was prescribing, VA officials acknowledged Wednesday under sharp questioning from lawmakers.

Pfizer Inc.'s once promising anti-smoking drug Chantix received another blow Wednesday after a nonprofit group's report about serious physical side effects prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to ban the drug's use by pilots and air traffic controllers.

Pfizer Inc.'s stop-smoking pill Chantix has been linked to more than 3,000 reports in the U.S. of serious side effects, including suicides, heart trouble and aggression, a study said.

When Pfizer's anti-smoking pill Chantix came on the market 18 months ago, it was touted as more effective than existing treatments at helping break the deadly nicotine addiction. But the widespread use of the drug has led to unexpected side effects, possibly including suicidal behavior, raising concerns at the Food and Drug Administration and within the medical and smoking treatment communities.

Federal officials warned Friday that a popular antismoking drug may be linked to suicides in some patients. The drug, called Chantix, has been used by more than 5 million patients as a smoking cessation aid, according to manufacturer Pfizer Inc. The drug will now carry new labels warning doctors and consumers of reports of suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an alert Feb. 1, 2008, to highlight important revisions to the warnings and precautions sections of the full prescribing information for Chantix (generic name varencicline) regarding serious neuropsychiatric symptoms.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has informed healthcare professionals about reports of suicidal thoughts as well as some aggressive and erratic behavior in patients who have taken varenicline (Chantix, Pfizer), a smoking cessation product.