Eliza Dushku

Hollywood Stars Team Up to Help Smokers Quit for Good - and Help Prevent Kids From Starting

Stars Offer Personal Messages of Encouragement to Smokers Wanting to Quit

PITTSBURGH, June 29 /PRNewswire/ — A star-studded cast of actors, singers and sports figures has teamed up to lend their names - and yoga mats - to help Americans quit smoking and help prevent kids from lighting up. More than 40 celebrities (and counting) have signed yoga mats with their personal messages of encouragement to smokers who want to quit. These will be auctioned on eBay® to benefit the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids®.

The auction has been organized by NicoDerm® CQ®, the makers of the new slimmer, more flexible ThinFlex(TM) stop smoking patch. It is not only aimed at raising money for a worthy cause, but also tells smokers how mental preparation and new nicotine patch technology can help break down the barriers to successful smoking cessation.

Star Ex-Smoker To Get Smokers Flexing

Actress and ex-smoker Eliza Dushku will launch the auction with the help of 100 smokers committed to quitting. Each participant will apply the new ThinFlex patch and put it to the ultimate flex test in a mass yoga event in Los Angeles on June 29. After the session, Dushku, best known for her roles in the WB’s supernatural series "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" and FOX’s hit drama "Tru Calling," will write her own message of encouragement on a yoga mat to add to the collection of other yoga mats from some of the biggest names in film, television, sport and music. The mats will be auctioned on eBay or at http://www.NicoDermAuction.com from June 29 through July 18. All proceeds (100 percent) will be donated to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping prevent new generations of smokers from starting in the first place.

Talking From Experience

"Quitting smoking was one of the most difficult things for me to do in my life," explains Dushku. "It’s important to me to work with other stars to support this cause and it’s exciting to tell smokers about tools like the ThinFlex patch that are easy to wear and fit their lifestyles." The Thinnest, Most Flexible Patch Ever

The new NicoDerm CQ ThinFlex patch is thinner and 25 percent more flexible than the current patch, first launched in 1992. According to a recent survey of more than 2,500 Americans, flexibility (43 percent) was the most important physical patch attribute for long-term smoking cessation success, followed by patch size (34 percent) and thinness (10 percent). Although clinical studies show the patch can help improve your chances of quitting, many smokers perceive the old patches as uncomfortable (24 percent), bulky (10 percent) and inflexible (21 percent).

Don’t Go It Alone

The other great news for smokers is that support is there for them to increase their chances of quitting successfully. Committed Quitters® is an online resource that comes free for NidoDerm CQ Thinflex users. It’s an individualized support program that has been clinically proven to increase the chances of successful cessation.

About Committed Quitters and NicoDerm CQ

Committed Quitters is an individualized Web-based behavioral support program available free to purchasers of NicoDerm CQ ThinFlex. Using the NicoDerm CQ ThinFlex patch as directed can double a smoker’s chances of quitting cigarettes versus a cold turkey quit attempt, and adding this online support program greatly improves the chances of success. Committed Quitters includes customized materials that provide coping strategies, advice and incentives to stay smoke-free.

About GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare is one of the world’s largest over- the-counter consumer healthcare products companies. Its more than 30 well- known brands include the leading smoking cessation products, Nicorette®, NicoDerm® and Commit®, as well as a many medicine cabinet staples such as Abreva®, Aquafresh®, Sensodyne® and Tums®. GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare continues to develop innovative products to help all smokers find their best support system and achieve their goal of being cigarette-free.

About GlaxoSmithKline

GlaxoSmithKline is one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare companies. GlaxoSmithKline is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.

About the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is building a healthier future for our children by changing public attitudes and public policies regarding tobacco use. They work to prevent kids from smoking, help smokers quit, and protect everyone from secondhand smoke. For more information, visit the Campaign’s Web site at http://www.tobaccofreekids.org .

For a complete listing of all yoga mats that have been donated, signed available for bidding, visit http://www.NicoDermAuction.com .