A test could be used to decide which treatment is best for smokers trying to give up the habit, researchers revealed today.
The test could decide whether a smoker will fare better using a nicotine patch or a drug, according to the study.
Researchers say the key to deciding the right treatment is the speed with which smokers break down nicotine in their bodies.
Those with normal metabolisms should use the drug varenicline but those with slow metabolism can avoid the side-effects of the drug by using a nicotine patch on its own, researchers found.
About 60% of smokers have "normal" metabolisms and break nicotine down in their bodies at quite a fast rate. Researchers say this makes it harder for them to quit – as they may tend to smoke more than those with slow metabolisms, who enjoy prolonged effects from small amounts of nicotine.
The researchers say a genetic test for a biomarker, the nicotine metabolite ratio, can identify those with normal and slow rates.
Some 1,246 smokers took part in the study. Some 662 had slow metabolisms.
The study found that those with normal metabolism were twice as likely to be successful at quitting if they used the drug.
Among slow metabolisers, varenicline was no more effective than the nicotine patch.
The findings were reported in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
Researcher Dr Rachel Tyndale said: "It is feasible that a point-of-care blood test to measure the rate at which nicotine is metabolised could be developed and implemented in clinical practice."
She added: "To optimise quit rates for all smokers whilst minimising side effects, our data suggest treating normal metabolisers with varenicline and slow metabolisers with the nicotine patch."
But, writing in the journal, three experts from Bristol University, UK, warn of the potential costs of trying to introduce a new test for thousands of smokers.
The Lancet Respiratory Medicine 12 January 2015 [abstract]
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