UK Body Recommends Pfizer's Champix (varenicline) for Smokers

Pfizer Inc announced today that the National Institute for Health
and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the United Kingdom has recommended
Champix (varenicline) for use on the National Health Service for adult
smokers who have expressed a desire to quit. This gives smokers across
England, Wales and Northern Ireland access to another important
treatment option to help them quit smoking.

In its Final Appraisal Determination, NICE concluded that
varenicline was "superior to NRT (nicotine replacement therapy) and
bupropion in achieving continuous abstinence" and that its use in
smoking cessation was "likely to be a cost-effective use of National
Health Service resources."

"This guidance means that smokers who are serious about stopping
have another choice from a good range of clinically proven treatments,
said Professor Robert West, Professor of Health Psychology at
University College London. "Smokers who combine treatments with the
right support - for instance from smoking cessation services - could
significantly increase their odds of successfully quitting for life."

Champix is the first new prescription aid to smoking cessation
treatment in nearly a decade. Pfizer discovered and developed Champix
specifically as an aid to smoking cessation through its unique
mechanism of action targeting the specific receptor to which nicotine
binds. Champix is believed to work by reducing the severity of the
smoker's urge to smoke.

"This guidance in the U.K. recognizes the efficacy and
cost-effectiveness of Champix, and encourages physicians and smokers
to consider this treatment as a new treatment option to help smokers
quit smoking," said Jack Watters, MD, Pfizer's Vice President of
International Medical Affairs. "The implications of this ruling are
particularly timely as they come just before World No Tobacco Day,
when organizations and governments around the world will work to
implement smoke-free policies, which may further encourage smokers to
make a quit attempt."

Smoking, the leading cause of preventable death worldwide, is
responsible for five million deaths worldwide each year. By 2010, the
World Health Organization estimates the annual global cost of
tobacco-related illness to be approximately US$500 billion.

The medication, varenicline, with trade name Chantix (varenicline)
in the United States, received U.S. Food and Drug Administration
approval as an aid to smoking cessation in May 2006. In the European
Union, Champix received marketing authorization in September 2006 for
use as a smoking cessation aid. For a patient prescribed Champix or
Chantix, Pfizer also offers behavioral support, a personalized online
interactive program to help smokers quit, at no extra cost. In
clinical trials, varenicline was generally well tolerated with overall
discontinuation rates similar to placebo. The most frequent side
effects included nausea, headache, trouble sleeping and changes in
dreaming.

US patients and health care providers can visit www.chantix.com or
call 1-877-CHANTIX and register to receive more information about
Chantix. For prescribing information, please visit www.chantix.com.