Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Wednesday 11 april 2018
Study: Stop-smoking drugs Chantix, Zyban pose no heart risks

By LINDSEY TANNER pean countries. In the origi- findings of this study and
CHICAGO (AP) — Two pop- nal study, by the last three substantial supporting
ular stop-smoking drugs are weeks of treatment, 34 per- documentation from the
as safe for the heart as nic- cent of Chantix users had clinical trial, along with ad-
otine patches and dummy quit smoking, 23 percent ditional published medical
pills, according to research of nicotine patch users, al- literature, as we continue
requested by U.S. and Euro- most 23 percent of Zyban to evaluate this issue," said
pean regulators. users and 13 percent of Michael Felberbaum, a
The results come from an those on dummy pills. spokesman for the U.S.
extension of a big study of Chantix blocks the effects Food and Drug Administra-
Chantix and Zyban that of nicotine on the brain; tion. The companies paid
earlier found no increased Zyban is the brand name for and conducted the
risks for severe psychiatric for a drug used for depres- post-approval studies at
problems including suicidal sion but it is thought to also the request of the FDA and
behavior. Those findings affect brain regions linked European Medicines Agen-
were reported in 2016. In this Tuesday, July 23, 2002 file photo, a doctor holds the medi- with addictive behav- cy. The researchers noted
"It's enormously reassuring," cation Zyban in Kansas City, Kan. ior. Patches deliver small that the study didn't in-
said Dr. Nancy Rigotti, di- Associated Press amounts of nicotine to help clude smokers with severe
rector of the Massachusetts reduce smokers' cravings. heart disease, although
General Hospital Tobacco assigned to daily use of pretty evenly distributed All are generally used short many had high blood pres-
Research and Treatment Pfizer's Chantix, GlaxoS- among the four groups. term. The patches and pre- sure or other risks for heart
Center. She was not in- mithKline's Zyban, nicotine The few other heart prob- scription pills can potential- problems. Dr. Neal Benow-
volved in the research. patches or dummy pills for lems also occurred at simi- ly raise blood pressure and itz, the lead author and a
"We now know it's a lot 12 weeks. The extended lar rates in each group. Chantix's current packag- professor of medicine at
safer to use these drugs to study tracked about 2,400 The study was published ing information includes the University of California,
help people quit smoking participants for a year. Monday in JAMA Inter- warnings about a possible San Francisco, said other
than to continue smoking, During and after treatment, nal Medicine. It included small increased risk for recent studies have sug-
Rigotti said. there were five heart-relat- adult smokers from the heart attacks and strokes in gested the drugs are safe
The original study involved ed deaths and 22 nonfatal United States, Canada, smokers with heart disease. for smokers with severe
8,000 smokers randomly heart attacks and strokes, Mexico and several Euro- "The FDA is reviewing the heart disease.q

10 teams advance in international carbon dioxide competition

By MEAD GRUVER The teams also get the begins. The two winners,
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — chance to put their ideas one at each site, will each
A $20 million international to work using much larger collect a $7.5 million grand
competition to make prof- volumes of CO2 obtained prize. Chemistry is why the
itable products from a gas from actual power plant competition has two tracks.
that otherwise would con- emissions. The 1 metric ton Carbon dioxide concen-
tribute to global warming of CO2 they will need to trations at the Wyoming
has entered its final stretch. use daily is 10 times more Integrated Test Center, a
The 10 finalists in the contest than they had to demon- new research facility at the
sponsored by a U.S. energy strate in a lab. Dry Fork Station coal-fired
company and a group of A ton is still only about 1 power plant near Gillette,
Canadian oil sands pro- percent of a power plant's are about double those at
ducers have shown in a daily output of CO2. But the Alberta Carbon Con-
lab they can use carbon the competition is more version Technology Centre,
dioxide from power plants about inspiring than imme- a new research facility at
to potentially turn a profit diate solutions to climate the Shepard Energy Cen-
making everything from change, said Marcius Exta- In this April 29, 2010 file photo, a pair of coal trains idle on the tre gas-fired power plant in
concrete to methanol, an vour, senior director of en- tracks near Dry Fork Station, a coal-fired power plant being built Calgary, Alberta.
alcohol used in a range of ergy and resources for the by the Basin Electric Power Cooperative near Gillette, Wyo. The 10 finalists scored high-
products. XPRIZE Foundation organiz- Associated Press est among 20 semifinalists
The finalists announced ing the contest. on how much CO2 they
Monday — from India, "It's about opening peo- pete to make use of actual berta, Canada. could put to use, as well as
China, Scotland, Canada ple's minds and really dem- flue gases from a Wyoming Starting this summer, they the value of their products.
and the U.S. — will collect onstrating what is possible," coal-fired power plant. The will have a year to practice Making concrete, for ex-
$5 million in prize money, or Extavour said. other five will compete at a at the plants before data ample, scores high on vol-
$500,000 apiece. Five of the finalists will com- gas-fired power plant in Al- collection for competition ume but not product val-
ue, while making relatively
small amounts of pricey
carbon fiber scores low on
volume but high on value.
CarbonCure works with al-
most 100 concrete plants
in the U.S. and Canada but
gets its CO2 from a variety
of sources, said Jennifer
Wagner, CarbonCure’s
XPRIZE team leader.q