Varenicline may leads to lower SAEs compared with nicotine replacement therapy monotherapy (low certainty).
Varenicline showed no clear difference in smoking abstinence at longest compared with combination nicotine replacement therapy (low certainty).
Varenicline showed no clear difference in SAEs compared with combination nicotine replacement therapy (low certainty).
Varenicline showed no clear difference in neuropsychiatric SAEs compared with combination nicotine replacement therapy (low certainty).
Varenicline showed no clear difference in cardiac SAEs compared with combination nicotine replacement therapy (low certainty).
Combination leads to higher smoking cessation compared with single‐form nicotine replacement therapy (high certainty).
Higher‐dose showed no clear difference in smoking cessation ‐ 42/44 mg versus 21/22 mg (24‐hour patches) compared with lower‐dose nicotine patch (moderate certainty).
Higher‐dose showed no clear difference in overall SAEs ‐ 42/44 mg versus 21/22 mg (24 hr patches) compared with lower‐dose nicotine patch (low certainty).
Higher‐dose may leads to higher treatment withdrawals ‐ 42/44 mg versus 21/22 mg (24‐hour patches) compared with lower‐dose nicotine patch (low certainty).
Higher‐dose showed no clear difference in treatment withdrawals ‐ 21 mg versus 14 mg (24‐hour patches) compared with lower‐dose nicotine patch (low certainty).
Combination showed no clear difference in overall serious adverse events compared with single‐form nicotine replacement therapy (low certainty).
It is very uncertain whether combination changes treatment withdrawals compared with single‐form nicotine replacement therapy (very low certainty).
It is very uncertain whether longer changes smoking cessation ‐ 16 weeks versus 8 weeks compared with shorter duration of combination nicotine replacement therapy (very low certainty).
Longer showed no clear difference in smoking cessation ‐ 6 weeks versus 2 weeks compared with shorter duration of combination nicotine replacement therapy (low certainty).
It is very uncertain whether longer changes overall SAEs ‐ 26 weeks versus 8 weeks compared with shorter duration of combination nicotine replacement therapy (very low certainty).