Pfizer markets pill cheaper than smokes

New York -- New York-based drug giant Pfizer says its anti-smoking pill Chantix is cheaper than a pack of smokes despite the fact that many insurers won't cover it.

The company said the prescription drug -- which was released last summer -- comes out to cost about $3 per day, less than a pack of cigarettes, The Chicago Tribune reported Thursday.

"It's the difference between putting money into making yourself sick or putting money into making yourself healthy," said Terri O'Gorman, a Pfizer director of marketing.

Chantix became the first prescription smoking cessation treatment to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in nearly a decade last year, when it was cleared for marketing.

Pfizer said it plans branded consumer ads for the pill to begin this summer.

Copyright 2007 United Press International.