Bupropion boosts smoking cessation success rate in blacks. (Used with Culturally Sensitive Counseling).

The use of sustained-release bupropion can improve smoking cessation rates in African Americans in conjunction with culturally sensitive counseling, said Dr. Jasjit S. Ahluwalia of the University of Kansas, Kansas City, and colleagues.

In what they called the largest study so far of smoking cessation therapy in an ethnic minority, all patients had brief counseling sessions with African American counselors before setting a quit date, on the quit date, and at weeks 1, 3, and 6. The counselors made supportive telephone calls 3 days after the quit date and at weeks 5 and 7. The African American subjects were mostly women (70%), poor, and motivated to quit smoking.

The 300 patients who were randomized to treatment with bupropion SR had a cessation rate of 36% at the end of treatment (week 7), which was significantly higher than the 19% rate in the 300 patients in the placebo group. Patients who were lost to follow-up were assumed to be smokers (JAMA 288[4]:468-74, 2002).

The patients in the bupropion SR group were significantly more likely to be continuously abstinent at weeks 1, 3, 6, and 26 than were those on placebo. The abstinence rate at 26 weeks was 21% with bupropion SR and 14% ...