Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews-- news

All documents in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews are now in PDF format. That means no more tweaking the document to make sure that all the tables print and a document that is shorter in its final print version.

Other Cochrane News

"Two Cochrane Reviews to be published in January The Cochrane Library 2007,
Issue 1, report on smoking cessation:

• A recently licensed nicotine receptor stimulant trebles the odds of
stopping smoking. The new anti-smoking drug varenicline was first licensed for use in the UK on 5th December 2006. An early Cochrane Review of its effectiveness shows that it can
give a three-fold increase in the odds of a person quitting smoking. Varenicline is
the first new anti-smoking drug in the last ten years, and only the third, after NRT
and bupropion, to be licensed in the USA for smoking cessation.

• New evidence boosts the conclusion that some antidepressants can
double a smoker’s chance of quitting. The most recent Cochrane review concluded antidepressants bupropion (Zyban) and nortriptyline double a person’s chances of giving up smoking and have few side-effects, but selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as
fluoxetine (Prozac) are not effective. A recently licensed nicotine receptor stimulant trebles the odds of stopping smoking. The new anti-smoking drug varenicline was first licensed for use in the UK on 5th December 2006. An early Cochrane Review' of its effectiveness shows that it can
give a three-fold increase in the odds of a person quitting smoking. Varenicline is the
first new anti-smoking drug in the last ten years, and only the third, after NRT and
bupropion, to be licensed in the USA for smoking cessation.