A NEW treatment to help people who give up smoking has been welcomed in the region.

Zyban acts directly to target the area of the brain which controls addiction and is claimed to be twice as effective as established nicotine replacement therapies already available.

It will be available only on prescription and comes in tablet form, taken twice daily, helping to suppress cravings, anxiety and irritability.

Tees Health Authority welcomed the drug, but is not advising GPs to prescribe it, pending further research into support treatment.

The authority says this support needs to be put into place before the drug is used, and tests carried out in America showed that it is most effective when people are highly motivated.

Dr Simon Balmer, a public health consultant with the authority, said Teesside had already seen progress made thanks to the Health Action Zone's Smoking Cessation Programme.

He said: "Zyban will form a vital part of the smoking cessation programme, but at this stage a lot of work needs to be done to identify the necessary support programmes and training required to make best use of the drug."

The British Lung Foundation says that, with smoking-related deaths up to 40 per cent above the national average in the North-East, the new treatment should be extremely beneficial.

As part of our A Chance To Livecampaign, The Northern Echo has been campaigning for more than a year to reduce waiting times for heart by-pass patients.

Any breakthrough which reduces the number of patients developing heart disease could help to relieve pressure on crowded heart units.