Smoking cessation research and the NIDA Clinical Trials Network.

This presentation begins with an overview of tobacco addiction perspectives, focusing in particular on dependence and withdrawal and arguing that treatment is vital in tobacco control and could be greatly advanced by further CTN support. There have been several studies so far in the CTN about tobacco cessation, including CTN-0009 (“Smoking Cessation Treatment with Transdermal Nicotine Replacement Therapy in Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Programs”) and CTN-0029 (“A Pilot Study of Osmotic-Release Methylphenidate in Initiating and Maintaining Abstinence in Smokers with ADHD”), but more work could be done.

The presentation ends with an informal survey of other NIDA-supported tobacco research leaders, describing the major impact on public health that NIDA treatment support of tobacco research has had. The CTN provides a unique capability for further advances in tobacco addiction treatment; suggestions on major challenges and opportunities in the network are described.