Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Following the release of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) public health advisory on Chantix in May, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration all but outright banned the use of Chantix for commercial drivers.

In a statement issued May 23 by Administrator John H. Hill, he would not go so far as to specifically prohibit the use of Chantix for interstate truck and bus drivers, saying the FMCSA would not “name any medications, such as Chantix, in FMCSA regulations.”

However, the FMCSA does prohibit the use of prescribed substances or drugs that adversely affect the driver’s ability to safely operate a commercial vehicle, and said “it appears that medical examiners should NOT certify a driver taking Chantix,” because the medication may do just that.

The FDA advisory on Chantix (varenicline) indicated that patients taking the popular stop-smoking medication are at risk for serious neurpsychiatric symptoms that may include changes in behavior, agitation, depressed mood, suicidal ideation, and attempted and completed suicide.

Hill stopped short of issuing an outright ban on Chantix, saying FMCSA’s rules “defer to the physicians and health care professionals to determine driver medical fitness for duty.”

The Federal Aviation Administration firmly banned Chantix for use by either pilots or air traffic controllers in May following the FDA’s public health advisory announcement.

While the drug is not officially banned by name, Land Line Magazine, the official publication of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), said in its August issue that medical certification of truckers using Chantix is “not likely.”

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