Efficacy of varenicline to prompt quit attempts in smokers not currently trying to quit: a randomized placebo-controlled trial.

Introduction: Nicotine replacement therapy to aid smoking reduction increases the probability of a future quit attempt among smokers not currently planning to quit smoking. We tested whether varenicline, a partial nicotine agonist, would also increase future quit attempts.

Methods: This randomized, placebo-controlled trial recruited 218 smokers who were interested in quitting but had no plans to quit in the next month.