EU lifts suicide warning on Pfizer's smoking-cessation pill

The European Medicines Agency's ruling could boost sales of Champix, the drug's name in Europe, by reassuring doctors and would-be ex-smokers that the prescription medicine doesn't have dangerous psychiatric side effects.

The EMA's decision, announced Monday by New York-based Pfizer Inc., comes after an 8,144-patient, 16-country study found users had no elevated risk of suicides, suicide attempts or suicidal thoughts.

Many doctors and smokers trying to quit were scared off by warnings on Chantix and Zyban, about "changes in behavior, hostility, agitation, depressed mood, and suicidal thoughts or actions" in some patients.

In that group, suicidal thoughts or behavior or other serious mental health issues were reported in about 6.5 percent given Chantix or Zyban and 5 percent given the nicotine patch or dummy pills.