A new pill proven to help smokers quit may not be available on the NHS in some parts of the UK until this month, a leading campaigner has said.
Cytisine tablets recently received UK regulatory approval and will be available on prescription from 22 January. The pills, a nicotine-free solution, have been used safely as a smoking cessation aid for decades in Central and Eastern Europe.
A study this week concluded that smokers were twice as likely to quit smoking when taking cytisine, a natural ingredient in laburnum seeds, than when taking a placebo. Doctors said it reduces nicotine cravings and that the drug could play an important role in smoking cessation.
However, Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), said the cost of the tablets – £115 for a 25-day course of 100 tablets – could prevent some areas from offering the drug as part of their policies. Medical services, introduction of a postcode lottery.
She said I: “Cytisine is an effective smoking cessation aid and it is good news that it will be available on prescription from the end of January.” However, the decision on whether smoking cessation services or doctors offer it to their patients will be made at a local level.
“While this is clearly cost-effective given the impact on public services of people continuing to smoke, it is currently more costly than offering nicotine replacement therapy or e-cigarettes, and some areas may decide not to offer it to smokers.”
“Smokers who are unable to immediately access this medicine should be reassured that using e-cigarettes is as effective as cytisine in quitting smoking and is much less harmful than smoking.”
A recent Cochrane review concluded with “high confidence” that the most effective smoking cessation interventions for adults are nicotine e-cigarettes, cytisine and another smoking cessation drug called varenicline.
More than 6 million people smoke in the UK, according to the latest ONS data, and smoking remains the most common cause of cancer, causing around 150 new cases every day. The government wants to make the UK “smoking-free” by 2030, defined as a smoking rate of 5 per cent or less.
Robert West, emeritus professor of health psychology at UCL, explains: I: “Cytisine is potentially as effective as e-cigarettes in smoking cessation and has the advantage of combating a smoker’s nicotine addiction.” -Based assistance in quitting smoking. This may be exactly what we need to get the UK on track to meet the national target of reducing smoking rates to less than 5 per cent by 2030.”
Peter Hayek, professor of clinical psychology at Queen Mary University of London, said: “Compared with smoking cessation medications, low-risk nicotine delivery devices such as e-cigarettes help many more smokers, but they still require medical treatment for vaping. .” I don’t think it’s beneficial or I don’t want to continue using nicotine.”
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has not yet published guidance on who is eligible to take cytisine tablets – subjects are referred to the medicines regulator by the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England. NICE is conducting a review to consider the potential impact of the recently published findings on tablets and the need to update tobacco control guidance.
Ms Arnott said: “The more choice smokers have, the better.”
“You need to be convinced that vaping is much less harmful than smoking. Four in 10 smokers incorrectly believe that vaping is as harmful or more harmful than smoking, up from a third last year and one in five in 2019.”
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.