NEW YORK, May 10 (UPI) -- 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.