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The UK could become the first country to prescribe e-cigarettes

2021-10-29T16:50:20.163Z


The UK National Health Service is considering implementing e-cigarettes as an option in anti-smoking treatment.


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London (CNN) -

E-cigarettes could be prescribed by England's National Health Service (NHS) as part of plans to reduce smoking rates in the country.


The United Kingdom Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will publish updated guidelines that could allow the prescription of electronic cigarettes to those who want to quit smoking, according to the United Kingdom government in a statement this Friday.

E-cigarette manufacturers can now approach the MHRA with their products, which will go through the same regulatory approval process as other drugs available on the country's NHS.

If the products are approved, England will be the first country in the world to prescribe licensed e-cigarettes as a medical product, according to the government.

Linda Bauld, holder of the Bruce and John Usher Chair in Public Health at the University of Edinburgh, said the news was "excellent".

"While there is good evidence that e-cigarettes available as consumer products can help smokers to quit, we also know that up to one in three smokers in the UK have not tried these devices," he told the Science Media Center .

"Smokers have doubts about the safety and misperceptions about the risks related to e-cigarettes compared to tobacco."

  • E-Cigarette Use Doesn't Work for Smoking Cessation, Study Finds

Bauld noted that the cost of these devices is a barrier for some.

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"The option of having approved devices that can be prescribed would reassure smokers about the associated risks and would also help reach those who can least afford e-cigarettes," he said.

"Smoking remains the leading preventable cause of health inequalities, so anything we can do to help poorer smokers, in particular quit smoking, is a step in the right direction." .

However, e-cigarettes are not without risks, the government admitted.

"E-cigarettes contain nicotine and are not without risks, but studies by experts from the UK and the US have made it clear that regulated e-cigarettes are less harmful than tobacco," the government said in a statement.

"An e-cigarette with a medical license would have to pass even more rigorous security checks," he added.

According to the NHS, although e-cigarettes do not produce tar or carbon monoxide, two of the most harmful elements in tobacco smoke, "the liquid and vapor contain some potentially harmful chemicals that are also found in cigarette smoke, but at much lower levels. "

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Alan Boobis, Emeritus Professor of Toxicology at Imperial College London and Chairman of the UK Committee on Toxicity, said: "I think it's fair to say that using an e-cigarette that meets current consumer standards will be much less harmful than smoking. cigarettes ".

"Smokers trying to quit smoking can try vaping, without having to wait for a medically licensed product to go on sale to do so. However, products licensed for vaping will have to meet a standard defined by the regulator. the drugs, the MHRA, and in return will be available to doctors to prescribe for their patients, which will be an important step forward, "he told the Science Media Center.

Robert West, Professor of Health Psychology in the Department of Health and Behavioral Sciences at University College London, said the regulatory hurdles to overcome for a product to be licensed are "huge" and he doesn't trust that independent tobacco industry e-cigarette manufacturers have the resources to overcome them.

"Smokers can already get e-cigarettes from some smoking cessation services and this move could expand access to them," West told the Science Media Center.

"This could very easily lead to a situation where tobacco companies' e-cigarettes, with limited efficacy, can be prescribed while much better ones cannot. In my opinion, no healthcare professional should prescribe a cigarette. electronic produced by a tobacco company, "he added.

Electronic Cigarettes United Kingdom

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2021-10-29

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