Completed

Maintaining Abstinence in Chronic Cigarette Smokers

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What is being tested

Bupropion and NRT

Drug
Who is being recruted

Mental Disorders
+1

+ Tobacco Use Disorder
+ Substance-Related Disorders
Over 18 Years
See all eligibility criteria
How is the trial designed

Treatment Study

Placebo-Controlled
Phase 2
Interventional
Study Start: December 2002
See protocol details

Summary

Principal SponsorNational Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Last updated: January 14, 2026
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner
Study start date: December 1, 2002Actual date on which the first participant was enrolled.

The work adapts interventions that have been successful in the general populations, and tailors them to chronic smokers, who may have numerous previous smoking treatment failures. If successful it will: (1) make available a treatment intervention that produces hight long term abstinence rates; (2) provide information on variables that predicts success and failure in this population of smokers; (3) examine the cost-effectiveness of more intensive, longer term treatments.

Official TitleMaintaining Abstinence in Chronic Cigarette Smokers 
NCT00087880
Principal SponsorNational Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Last updated: January 14, 2026
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner

Protocol

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.
Design Details
407 patients to be enrolledTotal number of participants that the clinical trial aims to recruit.
Treatment Study
These studies test new ways to treat a disease, condition, or health issue. The goal is to see if a new drug, therapy, or approach works better or has fewer side effects than existing options.

How participants are assigned to different groups/arms
In this clinical study, participants are placed into groups randomly, like flipping a coin. This ensures that the study is fair and unbiased, making the results more reliable. By assigning participants by chance, researchers can better compare treatments without external influences.

Other Ways to Assign Participants
Non-randomized allocation: Participants are assigned based on specific factors, such as their medical condition or a doctor's decision.
None (Single-arm trial): If the study has only one group, all participants receive the same treatment, and no allocation is needed.

How treatments are given to participants
Participants are divided into different groups, each receiving a specific treatment at the same time. This helps researchers compare how well different treatments work against each other.

Other Ways to Assign Treatments
Single-group assignment: Everyone gets the same treatment.
Cross-over assignment: Participants switch between treatments during the study.
Factorial assignment: Participants receive different combinations of treatments.
Sequential assignment: Participants receive treatments one after another in a specific order, possibly based on individual responses.
Other assignment: Treatment assignment does not follow a standard or predefined design.

How the effectiveness of the treatment is controlled
In a placebo-controlled study, some participants receive the experimental treatment, while others receive an inert substance (placebo) to compare outcomes. This method helps to isolate the effect of the treatment from the psychological effects of receiving any treatment at all.

Other Options
Non-placebo-controlled: No placebo is used. All participants receive the actual treatment or alternative interventions (often the Standard of Care), and comparisons are made between these treatments.

How the interventions assigned to participants is kept confidential
Everyone involved in the study knows which treatment is being given. This is typically used when it's not possible or necessary to hide the treatment details from participants or researchers.

Other Ways to Mask Information
Single-blind: Participants do not know which treatment they are receiving, but researchers do.
Double-blind: Neither participants nor researchers know which treatment is given.
Triple-blind: Participants, researchers, and outcome assessors do not know which treatment is given.
Quadruple-blind: Participants, researchers, outcome assessors, and care providers all do not know which treatment is given.

Eligibility

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria: person's general health condition or prior treatments.
Conditions
Criteria
Any sexBiological sex of participants that are eligible to enroll.
Over 18 YearsRange of ages for which participants are eligible to join.
Healthy volunteers allowedIf individuals who are healthy and do not have the condition being studied can participate.
Conditions
Pathology
Mental Disorders
Tobacco Use Disorder
Substance-Related Disorders
Chemically-Induced Disorders
Criteria

Subjects (N=400) will be men and women (50%) over the age of 18 who smoke at least 10 cigarettes per day and answers yes to the question "Do you smoke within 30 minutes of arising?" Inclusion Criteria: -Subjects are age 18 and over, currently smoking 10 or more cigarettes per day, and report a smoking history of at least 5 years in response to the question "How long have you been a regular smoker?" Exclusion Criteria: * History of seizure or head injury resulting in unconsciousness * Any condition that might predispose to seizures (brain tumor or stroke) * A current or history of anorexia nervosa or bulimia * Any disease acutely life-threatening or so severe that the patient is judged unable to comply with the protocol * Use of a protease inhibitor of MAO inhibitor within the last two week * Current use of psychiatric drugs that would interfere with interpretation of study results, including antidepressants * Treatment for alcohol dependence during the last year, or evidence of alcohol abuse so severe that the patient is judged potentially unable to comply with the protocol * Patients who know they are leaving the Bay Area within the study period and non-English speakers will be excluded * Suicidal or homicidal ideation * Current major depression * History of bipolar disorder * Recent (within twelve months) myocardial infarction * Any other medical condition that would contraindicate use of NRT or bupropion * Physical limitation so severe that participation in a program of moderate exercise is not possible * Pregnancy or lactation

Study Plan

Find out more about all the medication administered in this study, their detailed description and what they involve.
Treatment Groups
Study Objectives
5 intervention groups 

are designated in this study

40% chance 

of being blinded to the placebo group

Treatment Groups
Group I
Active Comparator
Participants will start with a 21 mg nicotine patch, tapering to 14 mg patch and finally tapering to 7 mg patch. The nicotine patch will be administered on Week 3 of the program. Participants will meet with medical staff during Weeks 1, 2, 5, and 11. Five group counseling sessions must be attended by the participants. Assessments will be conducted on Weeks 12, 24, 36, 52, 64, and 104.

All participants receive standard 12 week treatment of NRT, bupropion and five group counseling sessions. At week 11, subjects are randomly assigned to one of five treatment groups (1) Bupropion/Low Contact; (2) Placebo/Low Contact; (3) Bupropion/Relapse Prevention; (4) Placebo/Relapse Prevention; (5) No Further Treatment. Data is collected at Week 0, and at weeks 12, 24, 52, 64, and 104.
Group II
Active Comparator
Participants will receive Brief Treatment followed by ongoing bupropion treatment through Week 52. Participants will attending counseling session 20-40 minutes in duration and will be scheduled at weeks 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 44, and 52. The contents of these sessions will introduce additional information focusing on motivation, social support, mood management, weight gain, and dependence/withdrawal. Subjects will be contact by phone between counseling sessions (at Weeks 13, 15, 18, 22, 26, 30, 34, 36, 40, 48) for a brief check-in.

All participants receive standard 12 week treatment of NRT, bupropion and five group counseling sessions. At week 11, subjects are randomly assigned to one of five treatment groups (1) Bupropion/Low Contact; (2) Placebo/Low Contact; (3) Bupropion/Relapse Prevention; (4) Placebo/Relapse Prevention; (5) No Further Treatment. Data is collected at Week 0, and at weeks 12, 24, 52, 64, and 104.
Group III
Active Comparator
Participants will receive the Brief Treatment followed by ongoing Bupropion treatment through Week 52. Participants will meet with medical staff once a month.

All participants receive standard 12 week treatment of NRT, bupropion and five group counseling sessions. At week 11, subjects are randomly assigned to one of five treatment groups (1) Bupropion/Low Contact; (2) Placebo/Low Contact; (3) Bupropion/Relapse Prevention; (4) Placebo/Relapse Prevention; (5) No Further Treatment. Data is collected at Week 0, and at weeks 12, 24, 52, 64, and 104.
Group IV
Placebo
Participants receive the Brief Treatment followed by a placebo medication through Week 52 and meet with medical staff once per month. Participants will attending counseling session 20-40 minutes in duration and will be scheduled at weeks 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 44, and 52. The contents of these sessions will introduce additional information focusing on motivation, social support, mood management, weight gain, and dependence/withdrawal. Subjects will be contact by phone between counseling sessions (at Weeks 13, 15, 18, 22, 26, 30, 34, 36, 40, 48) for a brief check-in.

All participants receive standard 12 week treatment of NRT, bupropion and five group counseling sessions. At week 11, subjects are randomly assigned to one of five treatment groups (1) Bupropion/Low Contact; (2) Placebo/Low Contact; (3) Bupropion/Relapse Prevention; (4) Placebo/Relapse Prevention; (5) No Further Treatment. Data is collected at Week 0, and at weeks 12, 24, 52, 64, and 104.
Group 5
Placebo
Participants will receive the Brief Treatment followed by placebo medication (sugar-pill) through Week 52 and meet with medical staff once a month.

All participants receive standard 12 week treatment of NRT, bupropion and five group counseling sessions. At week 11, subjects are randomly assigned to one of five treatment groups (1) Bupropion/Low Contact; (2) Placebo/Low Contact; (3) Bupropion/Relapse Prevention; (4) Placebo/Relapse Prevention; (5) No Further Treatment. Data is collected at Week 0, and at weeks 12, 24, 52, 64, and 104.
Study Objectives
Primary Objectives

Study Centers

These are the hospitals, clinics, or research facilities where the trial is being conducted. You can find the location closest to you and its status.
This study has 1 location
Suspended
University California, San FranciscoSan Francisco, United StatesSee the location
CompletedOne Study Center
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