Are you planning to quit smoking? Now good news for people those who are trying hard to stop their smoking habit. A new drug in the market, called Chantix, can help.

The drug -- Chantix (varenicline tartrate) -- received a "priority review" by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, meaning it was approved within six months rather than in the usual 10-month review period, because of its demonstrated effectiveness in clinical trials.

Chantix works by activating the sites in the brain affected by nicotine and provides some nicotine effects to ease the withdrawal symptoms and blocks the effects of nicotine from cigarettes if you resume smoking. Chantix has the potential to diminish the sense of satisfaction associated with smoking. This may help to prevent the cycle of nicotine addiction.

The drug also blocks the effects of nicotine if you begin to smoke again. Mostly doctors intend chantix for 12 weeks. The most common side effects for people who took Chantix were nausea, Changes in dreaming, Gas, constipation, and vomiting.

Useful guidelines regarding Chantix are:
1.The anti-smoking drug Chantix is recommended to be taken with a glass of water after food.
2.Mixed and double doses of Chantix are to be avoided.
3.Chantix dosages generally come in 0.5 mg (white) and 1 mg (blue) pills and the patient should opt for the dose only which is recommended and prescribed by the physician.

"According to the World Health Organization, every eight seconds a person dies of a smoking-related disease -- almost as quickly as someone else takes up smoking for the first time," said Dr. Joseph Feczko, Pfizer's chief medical officer.

"Results suggest that Chantix is a significant advancement," said Dr. Cheryl Oncken, a Chantix clinical investigator and associate professor of Medicine at the University of Connecticut Health Center. "It is never too late to quit smoking. People who quit smoking before the age of 50 have one- half the risk of dying of a smoking-related illness in the next 15 years compared to those who continue smoking. Patients who are unable to quit on their own should consider seeking medical support and treatment."