Objective: To describe smoking cessation therapies available in Mexico.
Material and methods: Literature review of meta-analysis, controlled clinical trials, and behavioral therapy studies.
Results: Smoking cessation pharmacotherapy interventions showed a good chance of success on average, expressed as the ratio of the active drug vs. placebo cessation therapy outcomes (ratios of 39, 78, 79, 117, and 119%, for nicotine chewing gum, bupropion, nicotine patch, inhaler, and nicotine nasal spray, respectively). Behavioral therapy showed satisfactory results, (OR = 3.8) however, more research is needed to establish its effectiveness.
Conclusions: Emphasis is made on the need to combine behavioral therapy with pharmacotherapy, to increase the likelihood of successful smoking cessation.