A Bulgarian remedy for smokers was found to reducing smoking in a study of 740 people published by the New England Journal of medicine.

A new study which looks at a Bulgarian remedy for smokers, is gaining attention today after it was found to reduce smoking in 740 people, in a published trial from New England Journal of Medicine.

Well-known to cause smoking cessation, this is the first published study on the drug Tabex, developed by Sopharma AD. Sold in Eastern Europe for four decades, Extab Corp - a new American business formed by Rick Stewart, former Amarin Corp CEO – is aiming for $20 million in funding to get it into the United States.

Tobacco abstinence was 8.4 percent higher in people taking Tabex than the 2.4 percent drop in people taking a placebo in a 12 month trial.

"Big Pharma are clearly aware of Tabex but I think they will be pleasantly surprised by the quality of these results," Stewart told Bloomberg in a report published Thursday.

Tabex benefits come at “a fraction of the cost” of other smoking-cessation treatments, according to Robert West of University College London.

The drug can be found for as little as $6 in Russia where it is sold over the counter. India, on the other hand spends around $150 for nicotine-replacement therapy. Cessation drugs there cost around $200.

"If someone is willing to pay that amount to kill themselves then you think they will be ready to pay as much or less to stop smoking," Stewart said.

A link to the study can be found here - http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1102035