Australia's E-Cigarette Rules Fizzle with Only 3,500 Prescriptions in First Month

According to a report from Watoday on November 9, despite an estimated one million Australians using e-cigarettes, in a plan implemented by the federal government to include e-cigarettes as pharmacy products to combat the black market, only 3,500 sales were made in the first month.

Australia has approximately 5800 pharmacies nationwide, but data shows that thousands of them do not dispense any e-cigarette products on prescription. The federal government's initial policy analysis assumed that once illegal products are harder to obtain, about 450,000 people will seek medical e-cigarette products.

However, many pharmacists have stated that they are unwilling to sell e-cigarettes due to moral reasons or because the process is too cumbersome. Illegal e-cigarettes are still widely available, but prices have soared to 40 to 60 Australian dollars per device as retailers increase prices to compensate for higher penalties.

Last week, officials at a Senate estimates hearing stated that they currently do not track how many pharmacies are selling e-cigarettes. Chief Medical Officer Tony Lawler said that obtaining a definitive answer is actually quite difficult.

Health Department official Chris Bedford provided data on the sale of e-cigarette products by pharmacies following patient consultations. He stated that the total number of these sales across Australia reached 3,500, and pharmacists are able to dispense multiple e-cigarette products based on notification, leading to patients coming in and engaging in conversations.

Anne Ruston, the Health spokesperson for the opposition party, stated that the number of e-cigarettes sold by pharmacies last month only accounted for a small fraction of estimated e-cigarette users in Australia.

"We know that most pharmacists do not want to become tobacco merchants, as clearly reflected in the department's statistics."

Due to e-cigarette products not being included in Australia's registered therapeutic goods list, pharmacists must prescribe and sell unapproved products. This has made pharmacists cautious about supplying e-cigarettes. Data from the pharmacy industry shows that the majority of people are not willing to stock e-cigarettes, with a survey finding that 86% of pharmacies do not stock them.

Richard Lee, CEO of pharmaceutical company Liber Pharmaceuticals, stated that despite a slow start, the pharmacy's e-cigarette program is progressing within a reasonable range. The slow progress is partially due to the timing of the introduction of new regulations and the implementation phase. Lee expects pharmacies to gradually adapt to the new regulations and achieve significant growth within the next three to six months.