This work was carried out using the computational facilities of the Advanced Computing Research Centre [www.bris.ac.uk/acrc/ (accessed 13 January 2020)] and the Research Data Storage Facility of the University of Bristol [www.bris.ac.uk/acrc/storage/ (accessed 13 January 2020)].
A Cancer Research UK programme grant [C18281/A19169] (the Integrative Cancer Epidemiology Programme) supports RMM. A Norwegian Research Council Grant number 295989 supports NND.
Funding
The Medical Research Council (MRC) and the University of Bristol support the MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit (MC_UU_12013/6, MC_UU_12013/9). The MRC (MR/N01006X/1) and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme funded the research described in this paper. Amy E Taylor, Marcus R Munafò and Gemma MJ Taylor are members of the UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies, a UK Clinical Research Collaboration Public Health Research: Centre of Excellence. Funding from the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Economic and Social Research Council, MRC and NIHR, under the auspices of the UK Clinical Research Collaboration, is gratefully acknowledged. A Cancer Research UK programme grant (C18281/A19169) (the Integrative Cancer Epidemiology Programme) supports Richard M Martin. No funding body has influenced data collection, analysis or its interpretations. This study is based in part on data from the CPRD obtained under licence from the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. The funders had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis and interpretation of the data; or preparation, review or approval of the manuscript for submission.
The Nottingham UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies Smokers’ Panel, Elizabeth Blackwell Patient and Public Advisory Group, Professor Ann McNeill, Dr Lisa Szatkowski, and the Study Steering Committee, Professor Robert West, Dr Rhian Daniel and Dr Emily Herrett. Dr Gemma Taylor and Dr Neil Davies had full access to all of the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.
Contributions of authors
Dr Neil M Davies (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2460-0508) contributed to study conceptualisation, study design, data cleaning, data analysis, interpretation of results and the writing of the manuscript. He also had full access to all of the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.
Dr Amy E Taylor (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1853-0563) and Dr Kyla H Thomas (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5418-4034) contributed to study conceptualisation, study design, interpretation of results, data cleaning and the writing of the manuscript.
Dr Gemma MJ Taylor (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2185-0162) contributed to study design, data cleaning, data analysis, interpretation of results and the writing of the manuscript.
Dr Taha Itani (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8973-1867) conducted analysis and contributed to the writing of the manuscript.
Dr Tim Jones (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1199-8668) extracted the data and contributed to the writing of the manuscript.
Professor Richard M Martin (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7992-7719), Professor Marcus R Munafò (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4049-993X) and Professor Frank Windmeijer (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4232-2783) contributed to study conceptualisation, study design, interpretation of results and writing of the manuscript.
This publication is the work of the authors, who serve as guarantors for the contents of this paper.
Publications
Davies NM, Taylor G, Taylor AE, Thomas KH, Windmeijer F, Martin RM, Munafò MR. What are the effects of varenicline compared with nicotine replacement therapy on long-term smoking cessation and clinically important outcomes? Protocol for a prospective cohort study. BMJ Open 2015;5:e009665.
Taylor GMJ, Taylor AE, Thomas KH, Jones T, Martin RM, Munafò MR, et al. The effectiveness of varenicline versus nicotine replacement therapy on long-term smoking cessation in primary care: a prospective cohort study of electronic medical records. Int J Epidemiol 2017;46:1948–57.
Davies NM, Thomas KH, Taylor AE, Taylor GMJ, Martin RM, Munafò MR, Windmeijer F. How to compare instrumental variable and conventional regression analyses using negative controls and bias plots. Int J Epidemiol 2017;46:2067–77.
Davies NM, Taylor GMJ, Taylor AE, Jones T, Martin RM, Munafò MR, et al. The effects of prescribing varenicline on two-year health outcomes: an observational cohort study using electronic medical records: varenicline and 2-year health outcomes. Addiction 2018;113:1105–16.
Taylor GMJ, Itani T, Thomas KH, Rai D, Jones T, Windmeijer F, et al. Prescribing prevalence, effectiveness, and mental health safety of smoking cessation medicines in patients with mental disorders. Nicotine Tob Res 2019;ntz072.
Data-sharing statement
This observational cohort study used electronic medical records from the CPRD. Conditions attached to the use of these data means that the authors cannot share them further; however, they can be requested directly from CPRD via kc@cprd.com. The statistical code used to produce these results can be accessed from https://github.com/nmdavies/. Any further queries should be submitted to the corresponding author in the first instance.
Patient data
This work uses data provided by patients and collected by the NHS as part of their care and support. Using patient data is vital to improve health and care for everyone. There is huge potential to make better use of information from people’s patient records, to understand more about disease, develop new treatments, monitor safety, and plan NHS services. Patient data should be kept safe and secure, to protect everyone’s privacy, and it is important that there are safeguards to make sure that it is stored and used responsibly. Everyone should be able to find out about how patient data are used. #datasaveslives You can find out more about the background to this citation here: https://understandingpatientdata.org.uk/data-citation.
Disclaimers
This report presents independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The views and opinions expressed by authors in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the NHS, the NIHR, NETSCC, the HTA programme or the Department of Health and Social Care. If there are verbatim quotations included in this publication the views and opinions expressed by the interviewees are those of the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect those of the authors, those of the NHS, the NIHR, NETSCC, the HTA programme or the Department of Health and Social Care.