Chantix Suicide Concerns Continue to Cause Sales to Fall One Year Later

More than one full year after concerns about Chantix side effects increasing the risk of suicide first surfaced, Pfizer reports that sales for their stop-smoking drug continue to slide.

Chantix (varenicline) was approved by the FDA in May 2006 as a prescription medication to promote smoking cessation by reducing the positive effects of nicotine.

The drug works by binding to the nicotine receptors in the brain, reducing nicotine craving. However, by targeting nicotine receptor sites in the brain, the drug has also been associated with various psychological side effects, such as suicide, suicidal thought and unusual aggressive behavior.

After the drug was first introduced with no warnings or indications that it may increase the risk of suicidal behavior, Chantix quickly grew into a potential blockbuster medication for Pfizer. With heavy marketing, Chantix generated sales of $883 million during its first full year on the market and was expected to grow into a multi-billion dollar a year drug.

In November 2007, Chantix suicide concerns started to cause sales for the drug to fall after the FDA issued an early communication about reports of users committing suicide, having suicidal thoughts or engaging in other erratic behavior while taking the drug.

At that time, the FDA indicated they received at least 39 reports of Chantix suicides and more than 500 reports of suicidal thoughts and bizarre behavior. Since then, the adverse event reports involving Chantix psychological side effects have skyrocketed.

Pfizer has updated the Chantix warning label several times since late 2007, and they have seen sales decline as users have become more aware of the potential risk of suicide and other problems.

For the first quarter of 2009, Pfizer reports that sales of Chantix dropped another 36% to $177 million.

As a result of the suicide issues, Pfizer also faces a mounting number of Chantix lawsuits filed on behalf of individuals who committed suicide or suffered severe injuries from a suicide attempt. The complaints allege that Pfizer failed to properly warn about the potential side effects and failed to adequately test and research their medication before introducing it.