Nicotine Gum and Patches May Not Work, but at Least They’re Officially Approved

A study published online this week by the journal Tobacco Control casts further doubt on the effectiveness of “nicotine replacement therapy” (NRT) as a method of quitting smoking. The researchers followed 787 Massachusetts smokers who had recently quit, interviewing them three times over about four years. At each stage, the subjects who used nicotine gum and patches, with or without professional counseling, were just as likely as the others to have started smoking again. It’s possible that smokers who were strongly attached to the habit were especially likely to use nicotine replacement, which might partially explain these dismal results.

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