England The First To Prescribe E-Smoking to Tackle Disparities In Smoking Rates
by Naba Batool
SHARES
E-cigarettes could be prescribed by England's National Health Service under plans to cut smoking rates in the country https://t.co/Z4AF1turB7
— CNN (@CNN) October 29, 2021
At current, The Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is devising guidelines that can make it possible for people who wish to quit smoking by making licensed e-cigarette products available.
Manufacturers are advised to approach MHRA so that they can submit their products which will then undergo an approval process which is the same as other medicinal approval strategies that are available for health services.
If this gets the green light the clinics are then allowed to prescribe the patients who wish to quit smoking with e-cigarettes. All this can make England the first-ever country in history to declare e-cigarettes as a potentially medicinal product.
Smoking is the leading cause of premature death and the number of smokers in the UK has recently crossed 6 million. Across the countries, the rates of smoking also differ such as 7the smokers rates in Blackpool is 23.4%, and that in Kingston upon Hull is 22.2%.
In England, e-cigarettes are the most common means to quit smoking. According to researchers, 27.2% of smokers have successfully quit smoking with the help of this method.
Sajid Javid who is the Health and Social Care Secretary said that
“This country continues to be a global leader on healthcare, whether it's our COVID-19 vaccine rollout saving lives or our innovative public health measures reducing people's risk of serious illness.
Opening the door to a licensed e-cigarette prescribed on the NHS has the potential to tackle the stark disparities in smoking rates across the country, helping people stop smoking wherever they live and whatever their background.”
In addition to this, the government will soon publish a new Tobacco Control Plan which will make a smoke-free England a reality by 2030.
