Non-prescription nicotine gum hits market

April 18, 1996
Web posted at: 1:15 a.m. EDT

From Correspondent Andrew Holtz

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Smokers who want to kick the habit with the help of nicotine gum no longer need a doctor's prescription. SmithKline Beecham Healthcare announced Wednesday that its Nicorette nicotine gum will be available over the counter starting Thursday, April 18.

"Today we're starting a new front in the battle to help Americans kick the habit," said Jack Ziegler, president of SmithKline Beecham Consumer Healthcare North America.

Nicorette brand nicotine gum has been available by prescription for about 12 years as a smoking cessation aid. It is designed to reduce withdrawal symptoms by providing a temporary alternative source of nicotine.

Now that it will be more readily available, the manufacturer expects its use will rise. "Of smokers who actually want to quit, 70 percent of them will not take the step of going to a doctor and get a prescription ... and those are the people that Nicorette, as an over-the-counter drug, can now help," Ziegler said.

Although there are some safety concerns, the American Lung Association welcomed the product's move to OTC. "Making nicotine replacement therapy available without a prescription will help the public health community in our effort to reduce death and disease attributed to smoking," said American Lung Association President Jacqueline McLeod.

Nicorette's package label alerts users to some potentially dangerous side effects. It says that people with heart or other health problems should see their doctor before buying Nicorette, and users are told to stop chewing if they experience rapid heartbeats or other side effects.

Pharmacists will be keeping a handle on just who gets their hands on the gum, which has the potential to addict users just as cigarettes do, even though (as the manufacturer is quick to point out) the gum doesn't offer the quick nicotine rush of cigarettes. It will be kept behind the counter in drugstores, and will only be sold to people 18 or older.

However, since the product doesn't require a prescription, it's up to pharmacists to educate nicotine gum chewers. "You give them a pamphlet and you talk to them about it, but you're not ever sure," said Steve Anderson, who works at King's Drugs in Atlanta. "You hope you're doing your job."

The over-the-counter version of Nicorette costs a bit more than the prescription -- between $50 and $60 for a starter kit of 108 pieces, plus literature that offers tips for quitting smoking. The package also includes an audio tape explaining how the gum should be used, as well as relaxation and breathing exercises.

Of course the goal is to help more people quit smoking cigarettes. But even strong advocates of making nicotine gum available without a prescription say the gum, by itself, may not do the trick.

Nicotine, whether in gum, patches, or nasal spray, eases the craving for the chemical in tobacco, but that isn't all there is to smoking. Smokers cite the compulsion to do something with their hands as part of the reason they keep going back to smoking. (102K AIFF sound or 102K WAV sound)

So, anyone who buys the kit will also be offered free enrollment in "Committed Quitters," a personalized stop-smoking program. By joining the program and completing a telephone interview, members receive a series of customized support materials throughout the 13-week Nicorette therapy.

Saul Shiffman was paid to help develop the "Quitters" program. He said the chance of successfully quitting without aids is "very low," but the chances improve if you use a product like nicotine gum, and improve still further if you use Nicorette gum and the "Committed Quitters" program or a face-to-face program such as those run by the American Lung Association."

Most cigarette smokers say they want to quit. With nicotine gum available over the counter, health experts say, smokers have one less excuse not to try.

Related sites:

• American Lung Association: Facts about Smoking
• Nicorette information

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