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The drug is marketed under the brand  name Chantix (in the USA) or Champix (in Europe). Its active principle is  varenicline, Varenicline Chantix is a smoking cessation prescription drug. Varenicline is an {alpha}4beta2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor partial agonist. DrTheresa Zesiewicz, director of University of South Florida Ataxia Research Center, is testing the drug on patients suffering from  different types of ataxia (including Friedreich Ataxia). The video presents a woman with a dominant ataxia who participated in this  pilot study at the USF Ataxia Research Center.Now her  symptoms are drastically reduced and she is no longer wheelchair bound. The results are promising, but the drug could have serious side effects: neuropsychiatric events, including, but not limited to depression and suicidal ideation have been reported in patients taking varenicline to quit smoking. Varenicline should not be used in children younger than 18 years old; safety and effectiveness in these children have not been confirmed.

FARA press release about the trial with Varenicline

Clinical trial info

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