The Federal Aviation Administration has banned the use of Chantix, a drug marketed as a means to quit smoking. As stated by the FDA:
May 23 — Less than 48 hours after FAA learned the anti-smoking medicine Chantix might lead to safety problems, it ordered pilots and air traffic controllers to stop taking it immediately.
The agency took this swift action after a medical safety group, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, released the results of a study this week that found evidence for the occurrence of seizures, loss of consciousness, heart attacks, vision problems, and various psychiatric instabilities in individuals who use Chantix.
Approximately 150 pilots and 30 controllers are known to use the medication, although the exact number isn’t known. To make sure all pilots and controllers got the word, FAA sent a notice to all registered pilots and controllers. It also alerted all aviation medication examiners across the country and notified major pilot associations and the air traffic controllers union, NATCA. An estimated 6.5 million people worldwide have used Chantix.
The bad news for Chantix did not stop there. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration appears to have similarly placed a ban on Chantix. Administrator John Hill explains “it appears that medical examiners should not certify a driver taking Chantix because the medication may adversely affect the driver’s ability to safely operate a commercial motor vehicle.”
If you believe you have been injured taking Chantix, E-MAIL the authors today.
