Summary of findings 3. Cytisine versus varenicline for smoking cessation.
| Cytisine versus varenicline for smoking cessation | ||||||
| Patient or population: people who smoke tobacco Setting: community, community pharmacy, participants' homes Intervention: cytisine Comparison: varenicline | ||||||
| Outcomes | Anticipated absolute effects* (95% CI) | Relative effect (95% CI) | № of participants (studies) | Certainty of the evidence (GRADE) | Comments | |
| Risk with varenicline | Corresponding risk with cytisine | |||||
|
Smoking abstinence at longest follow‐up (6+ months) |
132 per 1000 |
109 per 1000 (87 to 138) |
RR 0.83 (0.66 to 1.05) |
2131 (2 studies) | ⊕⊕⊕⊝a Moderate |
|
|
SAEs |
49 per 1000 |
33 per 1000 (21 to 50) |
RR 0.67 (0.44 to 1.03) |
2017 (2 studies) | ⊕⊕⊝⊝b Low |
|
|
Neuropsychiatric SAEs |
No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | |
|
Cardiac SAEs |
No data | No data | No data | No data | No data | |
| *The risk in the intervention group (and its 95% confidence interval) is based on the assumed risk in the comparison group and the relative effect of the intervention (and its 95% CI). The assumed risk in the comparison group is calculated as the median risk in control groups. CI: confidence interval; RR: risk ratio; SAE: serious adverse event | ||||||
|
GRADE Working Group grades of evidence
High certainty: we are very confident that the true effect lies close to that of the estimate of the effect. Moderate certainty: we are moderately confident in the effect estimate; the true effect is likely to be close to the estimate of the effect, but there is a possibility that it is substantially different. Low certainty: our confidence in the effect estimate is limited; the true effect may be substantially different from the estimate of the effect. Very low certainty: we have very little confidence in the effect estimate; the true effect is likely to be substantially different from the estimate of effect. | ||||||
aDowngraded one level because of imprecision: CI incorporates no difference as well as clinically significant harm. bDowngraded two level because of imprecision: CI incorporates no difference as well as clinically significant benefit, and number of events in analysis very low (n = 82).