It may be one of the easiest habits to pick up, especially in college. Between classes, homework and bar hopping on the weekends, students can easily pick up a cigarette and find they just can't put it down.

For smokers who believe they really will quit this time, anti-smoking pills may provide hope.

The competition is on for the one pill that will effectively help smokers who are trying to quit. Pharmaceutical companies already have anti-smoking products on the market, but long-term effectiveness is still in the works.

"In experiments and other studies, the people who are most successful have a motivator or use nicotine replacement," said Marilyn Jamison, a registered nurse in the heart and vascular

It may be one of the easiest habits to pick up, especially in college. Between classes, homework and bar hopping on the weekends, students can easily pick up a cigarette and find they just can't put it down.

For smokers who believe they really will quit this time, anti-smoking pills may provide hope.

The competition is on for the one pill that will effectively help smokers who are trying to quit. Pharmaceutical companies already have anti-smoking products on the market, but long-term effectiveness is still in the works.

"In experiments and other studies, the people who are most successful have a motivator or use nicotine replacement," said Marilyn Jamison, a registered nurse in the heart and vascular institute at the Hershey Medical Center.

Developed by Pfizer, Champix promises to alleviate many of the withdrawal symptoms from nicotine, as well as diminish the sense of satisfaction the smoker gets if they have a cigarette while on the medicine, Jamison said.

"I think the hardest part about quitting is the craving of nicotine cigarettes give you," Nicole Sherlock (senior-history) said. She said she is in the process of quitting right now, and it is very hard to go from smoking everyday to not smoking at all. She said she thinks many students would benefit from the convenience of a pill.

Champix, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the U.S. last May and in Europe at the end of September by the European Commission, has a slightly higher abstinence rate than similar products on the market, Jamison said.

Studies consisted of 4,000 people who smoked about 21 cigarettes per day for an average of about 25 years. In two studies, the patients that received a 12-week course of the medicine had nearly four times the odds of quitting versus those taking placebo pills. After one year, about one in five patients stayed smoke-free.

For those that weren't smoke-free, a separate study showed that an additional course of 12-week treatment resulted in a greater likelihood of long-term success, according to a Pfizer press release.

"The average cost is about three dollars a day, but compared to a cigarette, it's a lot cheaper," Jamison said.

Another pill that showed much promise, specifically for women, is Naltrexone. Researchers at the University of Chicago have found that the drug, previously used to treat heroin addicts, has been effective in helping women quit. The pill is also used in combination with behavior therapy and nicotine patches, said John Easton, University of Chicago medical center director of media relations.

"It made a difference for women, but not for men," he said. He also said the study was looking to see if adding other methods would improve the quitting rates.

A reason as to why the pill was more successful in women might be because they were losing weight. He said they were less discouraged by the fact they had to give up smoking.

"I have a feeling when I'm going to quit, I'm going to do it on my own," Adam Muth (senior-crime, law and justice) said. He said he has been smoking for four years and when he does quit, he will probably just do it without medicine.

"I just try not to buy cigarettes unless it's the weekend. It helps me not to smoke so much if I don't have any on me," Ashley Furlong (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) said. She said she thinks that if people are really trying to quit they will go out of their way to get this prescription, but otherwise they will eventually go back to smoking.

"I think it would be really hard to quit all the way without the patch or the pill," she said.

In Pennsylvania, 23.6 percent of adults smoke, said Thomas Carr, policy analyst for the American Lung Association.

"The trial studies say that we need more time before we can effectively evaluate the long-term effect of these pills," he said. "But, I can certainly see it being easier to use and hopefully more effective."

Although University Health Services and Hershey Medical Center do not offer Champix, they offer a similar drug called Zyban, which is also given for depression, Jamison said. She said there is more restriction on who is allowed to use the drug.