According to The Pharmaceutical Journal on November 19, Community Pharmacy England (CPE) announced that community pharmacies in Medway, Kent, are participating in a pilot project using vapes as a smoking cessation aid.
Seven pharmacies are providing local commissioned services. Smoking cessation consultants will provide patients with coupons for obtaining starter kits and a supply of vape oil for up to four weeks.
Patients are entitled to six nicotine replacement products, but the service recommends using vapes as a smoking cessation aid only in the short term. CPE said the pilot project was in response to the government’s goal of making England smoke-free by 2024.
A Cochrane review published in September 2023 showed that vapes and partial nicotine receptor agonists such as varenicline and cytisine were most effective in helping people quit smoking for six months or longer, with no significant difference in effectiveness between the three. The review included data from more than 150,000 participants and showed that 10% to 19% of people could quit smoking through vapes, 12% to 16% through varenicline and 10% to 18% through cytisine.
Alastair Buxton, CPE’s director of NHS services, said:
“Community pharmacies already play an important role in supporting people to stop smoking, but we think the sector can create more value at a national health level, in line with the government’s desire to achieve a smoke-free country and reduce vape use.”
Caroline Cerny, deputy chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, noted:
“Quitting smoking is not easy, but research shows that vapes are almost twice as effective as nicotine replacement therapies such as patches and gum in the context of a stop smoking service.”
In November 2024, NHS England announced that varenicline would be available to NHS patients again after three years of discontinuation. The drug was recalled by manufacturer Pfizer in October 2021 due to concerns that it may contain carcinogens because it contained unacceptable levels of the nitrosamine compound N-nitroso-varenicline.
Guutuu vapes has been committed to promoting healthy smoking cessation and promoting the health of smokers, and the latest reports show that community pharmacies in Kent, England are piloting a new project aimed at using vapes as a smoking cessation aid. This project was launched by Community Pharmacies England (CPE) to support local residents in quitting smoking.
Guutuu vapes will continue to pay attention to smoking cessation policies and research trends around the world, and is committed to providing smokers with safe and effective smoking cessation alternatives, and supporting various measures to promote the development of global smoking cessation and reduce the harm of smoking.
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