NRT doubles quit rate on its own

The authors of a new study say that nicotine replacement therapy on its own, with no behavioural support, doubles the long term quit rate.

The authors said that he data means GPs should initiate NRT then refer smokers onto cessation clinics, rather than try and develop stop smoking services themselves.

Doubts have been raised about the effectiveness of NRT outside the additional behavioural support provided in clinical trials.

But the new study, looking at over 5,600 smokers in the UK, France, Spain and North America, making self-initiated quit attempts, found that NRT more than doubled their chances of quitting.

The study is the first to look prospectively at NRT with no support services and the outcomes were similar to those in clinical trials with behavioural modification programmes, counselling or help from a stop smoking clinic.

Lead author is Professor Robert West, director of tobacco studies at the Cancer Research UK Health Behaviour Unit and architect of NHS stop smoking services.

Professor West said, "The data confirms that GPs should have confidence that NRT is effective in the real world."

He stressed that good quality behavioural support was still valuable, but was difficult to achieve in primary care and advised GPs should refer patients onto specialists, rather than trying to develop stop smoking clinics themselves. "GPs should prescribe NRT first and then encourage a patient to go to a stop smoking clinic," he said.

Gay Sutherland, who runs a stop smoking clinic in London and is a research psychologist at the Institute of Psychiatry, supported the approach. She said, "We have many fully-funded specialist clinics in this country that are not reaching capacity and with a quit rate of 70 - 75 per cent GPs should be encouraging patients to come to them."

Source: Pulse, 01 November 2007
Link: http://tinyurl.com/yuhrcz

ASH is moving

ASH is moving offices. From the 5th November our new address will be:

First Floor
144-145 Shoreditch High Street
London
E1 6JE

Our telephone number, emails and website address will remain the same.

There will be no ASH Daily news on Monday.

Ireland: Smoking ban is a breath of fresh air

The smoking ban, introduced in Northern Ireland six months ago has had positive results. Research carried out by Ulster Cancer Foundation (UCF) revealed that 93% of Belfast bar-workers questioned felt that the smoking ban had been a success and they found that this view was reflected among pub and restaurant owners, their staff and most customers in Omagh.

Reflecting on his experience of the past six months, Omagh publican and restaurateur Mickey McElroy said, "Conditions are a lot better, we found the reaction from customers to be extremely positive."

UCF's research revealed that before the legislation was introduced, 26% of bar staff felt that they would have problems implementing the ban, but six months on only 5% of those surveyed have reported enforcement difficulties.

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland's Health Minister Michael McGimpsey said the smokefree legislation in April has meant that people have gone about their work and social activities free from the risk of exposure to secondhand smoke.

Mr McGimpsey said, "The implementation of smokefree legislation earlier this year has been one of the biggest health initiatives ever to be introduced in Northern Ireland. Six months on, I am sure we all now find it hard to imagine a time when we were subjected to secondhand smoke, whether at work or even just out for a meal with family or friends."

"It has been no surprise therefore that public support for the smokefree legislation has always been high and I am delighted to say, remains high. People clearly understand and appreciate the impact a smokefree environment has on their health."

Chief Medical Officer, Dr Michael McBride, said, "I have no doubt therefore that lives will be saved. We have the opportunity to reduce the many thousands of unnecessary deaths and smoking related illnesses we suffer as a society each year and the effects will continue for generations to come."

Source: Ulster Herald, 01 November 2007
Link: http://tinyurl.com/yvlpxr

BAT profits increase by 35% on higher Lucky Strike prices

British American Tobacco Plc, the world's second largest cigarette maker, said third-quarter profits rose 35 percent on higher prices for the Lucky Strike and Pall Mall brands.

Net income climbed to 600 million pounds or 29.52 pence a share, from 446 million pounds, or 21.56 pence, a year earlier, the London based company said today. That beat the 556 million-pound median estimate of nine analysts.

BAT increased prices in countries from Brazil to Vietnam during the quarter and introduced the Russian market to higher priced brands such as Kent and Dunhill. A pack of Pall Mall cost 19 per cent more in Spain as of August than a year earlier. Companies have more leverage to boost prices after takeovers such as Japan Tobacco Inc.'s purchase of Gallaher Group Plc in April.

BAT shares fell 3 pence, or 0.2 percent, to 1,827 pence in London as the U.K. benchmark FTSE 100 Index dropped 2 per cent. The stock has gained 28 per cent in the past year, beating the 19 per cent advance by Altria Group Inc., the New York-based maker of Marlboro cigarettes which today agreed to buy U.S. cigar maker John Middleton Inc.

BAT will consider making a bid for Tekel, Turkey's state owned tobacco company that the government has put up for sale. The U.K. cigarette maker has not received the documents on the sale, and bids are due in January, he said.

Reynolds American Inc., which is 42 percent-owned by BAT, on Oct. 25 reported a 16 percent gain in third-quarter profit and also boosted its annual outlook.

Tobacco consumption in western Europe has been falling about 1 percent to 2 percent a year because of higher taxes, prohibitions on advertising and smoking bans. That has spurred BAT and rivals based in the region to expand elsewhere.

Source: Bloomberg 01 November 2007
Link: http://tinyurl.com/ytdemq

Number of smoke ban inspections down

Councils are winding down their inspections of English pubs to see if they are complying with the smoking ban.

New figures from the Department of Health (DoH) show that the number of inspections in September was down roughly one third on August.

A DoH survey of 326 English councils, 92% of the total, shows that 4,097 inspections of licensed premises, excluding restaurants and venues with accommodation, took place in September.

A similar survey of 333 councils in August showed that 6,024 inspections occurred.

The survey for July showed 16,807 inspections were carried out. The July survey combines findings from two halves of the month, 321 councils were surveyed in the first half, and 335 in the second.

Meanwhile, compliance rates have hardly changed over the three months.

Licensed venues, excluding restaurants and venues with accommodation, registered a 97.9% compliance rate in September. This compares to 97.5% in August and 97.3% in July.

Compliance rates with the rules on no smoking signage were 94.2% in September and August, up from 91.3% in July.

A total of 798 written warnings were issued in the first three months of the ban for premises or vehicles failing to prevent smoking. Five court hearings occurred in relation to breaches of the ban.

Source: The Morning Advertiser, 01 November 2007
Link: http://tinyurl.com/27g2pl