Convenient Access to Nicotine Replacement Therapy in India

According to a report from bwhealthcareworld, a health website, India is home to one hundred million smokers, accounting for over 20% of tobacco-related deaths worldwide and negatively impacting families, livelihoods, and national productivity. Medical experts in India emphasize the importance of easily accessing nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) as an effective tool in aiding individuals to quit smoking.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) has become a pivotal treatment method.

According to a recent report, experts believe that a comprehensive tobacco control strategy is crucial to address the issue of tobacco addiction in India, which causes over one million deaths annually, accounting for 9.5% of the total national mortality. This strategy should include improving the accessibility of tobacco cessation methods, public education, and the use of approved therapies such as Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT). Playing a pivotal role in this battle, NRT has a 25-year history of usage and has been found to increase the success rate of quitting smoking by 50% compared to unassisted attempts.

Dr. Chandrakant S Pandav, former head of the Department of Community Medicine at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and recipient of the Padma Shri Award, emphasizes the urgent need to improve the avenues through which the Indian public can access tobacco cessation methods.

He stated that 28.6% of adults in India smoke, and these challenges are more persistent in remote and rural areas. Therefore, "NRT should be made available over the counter at pharmacies. Easy access increases the likelihood of successful smoking cessation.

Integrated therapy combining psychology and physiology is needed.

Unlike nicotine in cigarettes, NRT (Nicotine Replacement Therapy) provides a temporary substitute for nicotine, helping to control cravings, alleviate withdrawal symptoms, and facilitate the transition to a tobacco-free life. NRT ensures a gradual and controlled increase in nicotine levels in the bloodstream, preventing abuse.

Dr. Sajeela Maini, an expert in tobacco cessation, alcohol cessation, and mental health at Gangaram Hospital in New Delhi, stated, "Substituting nicotine products for cigarettes is the most effective method for reducing cravings and withdrawal symptoms. We must address the psychological and physiological aspects of tobacco addiction in order to ensure successful smoking cessation.

However, the proposal put forward by the Indian Drugs Technical Advisory Board to change over-the-counter sales of NRT to prescription-only has sparked intense debate within the academic community. They argue that such a move could potentially reverse progress made in combating tobacco addiction and goes against recommendations by major global health authorities. Medical experts advocating for NRT emphasize that classifying tobacco as a prescription drug would limit the access for individuals seeking to quit smoking, hindering the government's goals for tobacco cessation.