CHICAGO — Two years ago, scientists had high hopes for new pills that would help people quit smoking and other tough addictions. The pills block pleasure centers in the brain that provide the feel-good response from smoking or eating. Now it seems the drugs may block pleasure too well, possibly raising the risk of depression and suicide.
Chantix, a quit-smoking pill from Pfizer, has been linked to dozens of reports of suicides and hundreds of suicidal behaviors. Side effects also plague two other drugs:
• Rimonabant, an obesity pill sold as Acomplia in Europe, was tied to higher rates of depression and a suicide in a study last month. The maker, Sanofi-Aventis SA, still hopes to win its approval in the United States.
• Taranabant, a similar pill in late-stage testing, led to higher rates of depression and other side effects in a study last month. The Associated Press
