The FDA move slower than Europe's and Australia's agencies because, obviously, they are controlled by money maker pharma and the docs.

Most docs think it is better that someone die from Chantix than it is to live and continue smoking. So pharma has it on easy street in this particular instance. No other segment of our society has ever been treated as lowly as the tobacco somkers. Even the alcoholics were able to garnish some compassion - so too the victims of AIDS and illegal drug use. But never the smoker - they are pariahs. Some docs won't even operate now for a broken leg if that person is a smoker. A veteran of World War II, age 84, died two years ago in Michigan when he left his nursing quarters for a smoke and the door locked behind him late at night. He froze to death. The only question, I imagine, that any docs had was "Why was this man not on Chantix?"

Whoops! In the previous post here, I used the word "garnish" in relation to "compassion" when I meant to say "garner".

Well, Chantix will be around for awhile in the U.S. because 48 million people are "in hiding". These are the smokers and they are desperate so they will try anything to rid themselves of the habit so they can rejoin society. The risk of suicide will seem mild to them compared to what they have to endure now.

No other segment of our society has ever been treated as lowly as the tobacco somkers.

I beg to differ---I think those of us labeled mentally ill are treated just as lowly and often much much worse. I've been both a smoker and labeled psychiatrically---therefore I've also been treated as both.

Smokers still don't get forced treatment and restraints, right?

I have to agree with Gianna. There is some study floating around that states that mental illness carries the highest degree of stigma of any disability and watching the behavior of other toward my children I have to agree. Let's not even get into how poorly their needs are/are not met, and the lack of compassion that often goes along with the help.

I think of smokers as huddling outside their workplace to smoke on a cold day, or being banned from a bar. This just doesn't compare to the shunning, poor help, medical conditions like diabetes, homicide/suicide from drugs, and other death caused by pharmaceutical drugs that are suffered by a person with mental illness.

What ever happened to cold turkey? Worked for me.

I forgot to mention my observation in 2003 about the FDA always being last to place warnings on a drug. In the Spring of 2002, Japan and the UK required Lilly to place warnings for diabetes, hyperglycemia and death on Zyprexa. It wasn't until late 2003 that the FDA, after being slammed by three large, front page articles about the drug, required all atypical makers to place a similar warning (they refused to single out Lilly). This is an ongoing pattern, even though they "say" that they work with other countries on drug safety.