Impact of Over-the-Counter Sales on Effectiveness of Pharmaceutical Aids for Smoking Cessation

Abstract

Since becoming available over the counter, NRT appears no longer effective in increasing long-term successful cessation in California smokers.

Duration of Nicotine Replacement Therapy Use and Smoking Cessation: A Population-Based Longitudinal Study

“…Findings of the suboptimal prevalence and duration of NRT use in the present study are consistent with those from other studies ( 5 , 10 , 33 – 36 ). For example, only 20%–23% of recent quitters reported having used NRT in their attempts to quit in a study in Massachusetts ( 34 ), and in other studies in the United States ( 33 , 35 ), 20%–32% of smokers who attempted to quit used medication.…”

Smokers' use of nicotine replacement therapy for reasons other than stopping smoking: findings from the ITC Four Country Survey

“…The switch to OTC may have spawned new uses of NRT more so than it decreased the effectiveness of NRT when used for the purposes of quitting. This is broadly consistent with previous reports that the demographic profile of NRT users may have shifted and that many smokers fail to use NRT for the recommended duration or as directed [5,7,8]. …”

The role of nicotine replacement therapy in early quitting success

“…However, only 18.2% of individuals in this study actually used NRT at any point during the initial cessation phase. This fi gure is consistent with the estimates of other studies (e.g., Pierce & Gilpin, 2002 ;Zhu et al, 2000 ). Given that NRT is effective, but is underutilized despite its OTC availability for more than a decade, the data support the need for interventions or strategies encouraging people intending to quit to make use of NRT products in their quit attempts.…”