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NHS reintroduces effective stop-smoking drug to help more people quit
The NHS is introducing an “improved” stop-smoking medication, Varenicline, expected to aid thousands in quitting smoking more effectively than other options like nicotine gum or patches. Varenicline is a prescription only medicine, that can be accessed by patients via their GP or NHS stop smoking service. Previously available as Champix, this drug reduces nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms and has been re-approved after prior concerns over impurities. NHS officials project that this rollout could help more than 85,000 people quit each year and prevent around 9,500 smoking-related deaths over the next five years. The move is part of a broader NHS effort to address smoking-related health issues, which cost the service approximately £2.5 billion annually.
Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) welcomed the reintroduction of Varenicline but emphasised that access alone is not enough; support services are also crucial to lower smoking rates and prevent deaths. ASH’s Chief Executive Hazel Cheeseman highlighted gaps in smoking cessation services, noting that while NHS hospital-based initiatives have expanded, community services remain unevenly available due to local funding challenges. ASH advocates for comprehensive access to both treatment and support nationwide to ensure smokers, regardless of location, have the best chance to quit successfully. Professor of respiratory medicine at Imperial College London, Nick Hopkinson stated that Varenicline is the “most effective” smoking cessation medicine and people are most likely to quit successfully with a combination of medication and counselling support.
Source: BBC News, 12 November 2024
See also: Jackson, S. E., Brown, J., Tattan‐Birch, H., & Shahab, L. . Addiction, 2024 | NCSCT - Varenicline
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USA: Can applying anti-smoking strategies to combat opioid addiction?
The U.S. opioid crisis, which has claimed over 500,000 lives in the last five years, has public health experts considering whether anti-smoking strategies could help curb opioid addiction. Tobacco use in the U.S. plummeted from 50% in 1965 to just 12% today, thanks to a multifaceted approach: educational campaigns, warning labels, and smoke-free laws all shifted smoking from a cultural norm to a dangerous habit. Experts suggest that similar tactics—public messaging on the severe risks of opioids, school-based prevention programs, and community-level support—could reshape perceptions of opioid use in America and discourage experimentation, especially with fentanyl.
Unlike tobacco, opioids are already illegal in America, but public health measures could focus on disrupting their supply and financial networks. Tighter international regulation of fentanyl's precursor chemicals, especially those sourced from countries like China and India, could make production harder. Financial monitoring to cut off funds to fentanyl suppliers, combined with local bans on public drug use, might further reduce the opioid crisis. Together, these approaches could shift social norms and offer a preventive framework, potentially reducing new cases of addiction and relapse, while emphasising support rather than stigmatisation of users.
Source: Psychology Today, 11 November 2024
See also: Lucie Kalousova, Yanmei Xie, David Levy, Rafael Meza, James F Thrasher, Michael R Elliott, Andrea R Titus, Nancy L Fleischer, , Nicotine & Tobacco Research
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Written Questions
Asked by Rachael Maskell, Labour, York Central
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to (a) maintain and (b) increase funding for local authority smoking cessation services; and if he will take steps to raise public awareness of those services.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care), Labour, Gorton and Denton
The Government has invested an additional £70 million in 2024/25 to support local authority-led stop smoking services to help smokers quit smoking, and this funding is being used to build capacity and demand. We encourage local authorities to invest in marketing and promoting local interventions to quit smoking. The Department will confirm the settlement for different programmes for future years in due course.
Source: Hansard, 11 November 2024
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ASH Daily News is a digest of published news on smoking-related topics. ASH is not responsible for the content of external websites. ASH does not necessarily endorse the material contained in this bulletin.
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