The authors say that their research supports the therapeutic benefit of 24 weeks of transdermal nicotine therapy compared with 8 weeks, and the US FDA policy change allowing smokers to use nicotine patches beyond the standard 8 weeks to increase the potential for smoking cessation. There was however no observed additional benefit from continuing treatment beyond this time (although this appears to be safe); they suggest that adherence may be a factor and also that longer-term treatment may only benefit specific patient subgroups.
Limitations of this study include the lack of a placebo control and a reduced internal validity, due to the limited inclusion and exclusion criteria. Adherence was low, particularly with longer-term treatment, and attrition was an issue (although the retention rates were similar across treatment arms). The authors call for future studies to explore long-term use of more effective smoking cessation medications.
In the UK, current product information for nicotine patches (e.g. Nicotinell) states that treatment is designed to be used continuously for 3 months but not beyond. However, if abstinence is not achieved at the end of the 3 month treatment period, further treatments may be recommended.