National Institute for Health and
Care Excellence
Pointing out her organisation’s most
recent publication on smoking cessation
tools, in which NICE updated guidelines
for doctors to recommend e-cigarettes to
some patients, Professor Gillian Leng said
this, “was not an overarching statement
on e-cigarettes … We explained that they
are not licensed medicines, but that they
are regulated, and advised that many
people have found them helpful to quit
smoking.”
On the subject of vapers still meeting
their nicotine cravings despite quitting
smoking, Professor Leng said, “There
might be questions about that, because
of the way in which e-cigarettes are being
marketed … as an interesting, exciting,
edgy product, which might encourage
people to use them in the longer term.”
She added that while e-cigarettes are
95 percent less harmful than traditional
cigarettes, “there is five percent we do
not know about.”
Professor Newton also gave his view on
this, saying there is evidence to suggest
vaping nicotine may not be as addictive
as in smoking. “We know that, of the
2.9 million e-cigarette users, just over
half have stopped smoking completely
and are now using e-cigarettes. We
also know that there are approximately
700,000 people who have been smokers,
have used e-cigarettes and have stopped
using e-cigarettes as well. The large-
scale surveys suggest that there is a
progression from being a smoker to using
e-cigarettes to stopping. There is some
evidence that nicotine delivered in an
e-cigarette is less addictive than nicotine
delivered through smoking.”
The Medicines and Healthcare
products Regulatory Agency
Dr Ian Hudson is Chief Executive of the
MHRA. He commented on the medical
licensing of e-cigarettes as a potential
route to encouraging smokers to quit. He
confirmed that in order for e-cigarettes to
be available on prescription across the UK
they would need to be medically authorised.
According to Dr Hudson, there are
pros and cons to medically authorising
e-cigarettes in comparison to the current
“If there is a good chance that more smokers will quit
if they are encouraged to use an e-cigarette than
would otherwise quit … one should remove barriers
to smokers using e-cigarettes to quit”
– Professor Newton, PHE
system with the notification scheme.
He said, “There are limitations in the
notification scheme — tank size, refill
size, strength, advertising and the
ability to put a product on prescription.
The medicines route would get around
some of those, but it comes with more
requirements …”
Advertising Standards Authority
Rob Morrison of the ASA touched on
the current rule that prohibits both
health and medicinal claims being made
about e-cigarettes. He said, “We are in
a different place now,” and added that
a consultation at the end of last year
resulted in a proposal to loosen the
ropes a little. He said this will “allow
marketers to make claims that they
can substantiate that concern health.”
Potentially, this could open the door for
the marketing of e-cigarettes as being
less harmful than smoked tobacco, “but
only in circumstances where they have
robust evidence that shows that their
product is tested, is TPD compliant and
meets those standards, and where they
have undertaken a comparative analysis.
Now that the TPD is in, we think that the
market is probably getting to a point where
some manufacturers will want to do that.”
He also acknowledged there may be
scope for change post-Brexit.
As
we
are
aware,
smoking
cessation claims cannot be made in
advertisements for e-cigarettes, but the
ASA can, “change the rules to allow a
window for these health claims.” Mr
Morrison added that is what the ASA is
doing in current consultation. “Hopefully,
there will be something to say on that in
the next couple of months.” We eagerly
await the outcome of that consultation.
Following
this
panel
discussion,
pharmacy minister Steve Brine told
the committee he would consider
suggestions to use cigarette packets
as a vehicle for the promotion of
e-cigarettes. Under current legislation it
is illegal to put promotional material into
cigarette packs, but the MP said that it
was something the government should
look into further.
The House of Commons Science and
Technology Committee on e-cigarettes
examines the impact of e-cigarettes
on human health – including their
effectiveness as a stop-smoking tool –
the suitability of regulations guiding their
use and the financial implications of a
growing market on both business and
the National Health Service.
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