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Author(s)
Deborah Arnott, Andrew Black, Robert West, Linda Bauld and Jeremy Mean
Presenter(s)
Andrew Black Tobacco Programme Manager, Department of Health
Professor Robert West Professor of Health Psychology and Director of Tobacco Studies, Cancer Research UK Health Behaviour Research Centre, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London
Professor Linda Bauld Professor of Socio-Management, School of Management, University of Stirling
Jeremy Mean Access and Information for Medicines and Standards Group Manager, Vigilance and Risk Management of Medicines Division (VRMM), Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency
Michell Zeller Vice President for Policy and Strategic Communications, Pinney Associates and Visiting Scientist, Harvard University School of Public Health, USA
Abstract
In 2007 the UKNSCC gave its support to a consensus statement drafted by ASH calling on the government to allow smokers who can't quit long-term access to less harmful forms of nicotine as a real alternative to smoking. It’s taken some time but such a policy is part of the new Tobacco Plan for England launched on No Smoking Day this year.
The MHRA has extended the indications for Nicotine Replacement Therapy to include harm reduction and is coordinating a programme of work to gather further evidence to inform decisions on the licensing of nicotine containing products. NICE is developing guidelines for smoking cessation and harm reduction which will be published in 2013. NICE and the MHRA will present on their work in progress and the DH will give an overview. Robert West will present on population level harm reduction behaviours undertaken by smokers and Mitch Zeller will provide a US perspective.
This is an interactive session which in addition to giving participants information about the development and implementation of the harm reduction strategy is designed to give practitioners an opportunity to feed in their own personal experiences of the needs of heavily addicted smokers and harm reduction activities used by their clients.
Source of funding: Not applicable
Declaration of interest: ASH does not have a pecuniary interest in this area. I was a member of the Royal College of Physicians Tobacco Advisory Group which in 2007 published the report ‘Harm reduction in nicotine addiction: Helping people who can’t quit’. This report supported the concept of harm reduction for smoking cessation and reform of the regulation of nicotine products. In 2008 ASH published Beyond Smoking Kills which also supported harm reduction for smoking cessation and reform of the regulation of nicotine products. Beyond Smoking Kills was produced in collaboration with the British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research UK and endorsed by over 100 health and welfare organisations.
