Smoking cessation and nicotine-replacement therapies

Initiatives that help smokers to quit are key components in an effective tobacco-control program. Unaided, individuals’ chances of quitting are low, but success rates are higher when smokers use nicotine-replacement therapies (NRTs) and other pharmacological therapies. The current market for NRTs worldwide is small compared with the market for cigarettes, and is mostly concentrated in high-income countries. The small market largely reflects low levels of demand, especially in low-income and middle-income countries. However, the regulation of NRTs, for example through conditions of sale, also reduces access to them. Public policy options for increasing access to NRTs include the deregulation of conditions of sale. In addition, increased public information about the hazards of smoking and the benefits of cessation appear to be important for increasing demand for NRTs. Where studied, NRTs have been found to be cost-effective. Theoretically, these therapies could be publicly financed for the poorest smokers. In practice, however, it would be difficult to target those on the lowest incomes.