Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) must be made more widely available to increase the number of people who successfully stop smoking, suggests Professor David Taylor (visiting professor of health and medicines policy, school of pharmacy, University of London).
In a discussion paper on health issues, written on behalf of Pharmacia & Upjohn (the manufacturer of Nicorette), Professor Taylor makes suggestions for improving smoking cessation. These include making NRT available for prescription on the NHS to "high priority" patients, increasing the period during which patients are entitled to free NRT, making greater use of the expertise of community pharmacists and broadening general sale list (GSL) availability.
Professor Taylor says that the contribution that pharmacists make to the safe, effective use of pharmaceuticals must not be underestimated and that the profession naturally will be concerned about the supply of any medicines by unqualified retailers. He highlights the involvement of community pharmacists in NHS smoking cessation services and says that they can provide convenient, accessible support to smokers who are trying to give up. However, he points out that the advantages of making some forms of NRT as accessible as, or more accessible than, cigarettes also should not be underestimated.
The free sale of NRT in normal retail settings, including alongside tobacco products, would be a productive way of allowing access to all those who could gain health benefit from using them, says Professor Taylor. It is an anachronism that cigarettes can legally be purchased by 16-year-olds but that NRT can not legally be supplied to people aged under 18, he says.
Ideally, there would be a balance of NHS supply, self-purchased pharmacy products and free sale alongside tobacco products in supermarkets and corner shops. For such policies to be universally accepted, all the stakeholders in smoking cessation would need to overcome sectional concerns and maintain their focus on the community's interest in better health, Professor Taylor states.