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ASH Daily news for 18 June 2010

HEADLINES

  • NICE to produce guidance to tackle smoking

    NICE is to produce a range of public health guidance to encourage people to give up smoking, after the Department of Health announced the latest topics to be referred to our work programme.

    Each year the Department of Health commissions NICE to develop clinical guidelines, guidance on public health and technology appraisals on a whole host of different topics suggested by clinicians, patients, the public and anyone else who is interested in our work.

    The final choice of topics is based on a number of factors, including how many people are affected by the condition, the cost impact to the NHS or public sector, whether the topic falls within a government priority area or if there is variation in practice across the country.

    This year, NICE has been asked to produce public health guidance on the development and implementation of policies on smoke free homes and smoke free private cars and other vehicles; public health guidance for primary care trusts (PCTs) and Local Authorities on multi agency partnership working to combat markets in illicit tobacco products; and guidance for retail and community pharmacists and other retailers on providing support and information to customers buying over-the-counter (OTC) nicotine replacement products.

    NICE will also update existing guidance on technologies used in smoking cessation, produce public health guidance for PCTs and NHS smoking cessation services on the use of harm reduction approaches to smoking cessation, and produce guidance for secondary care providers on smoking cessation services for patients in hospital and in the community with long term and chronic conditions.

    Andrew Dillon, chief executive of NICE, welcomes the latest referrals and believes that the topics all “address areas of significant concern for those working in the NHS, patients and carers”.

    “We know that smoking is the biggest risk factor for cancer and contributes to one in four cancer deaths in the UK. The NHS spends billions of pounds each year on treating smoking-related diseases.

    “NICE has been asked to produce seven public health guidelines to help tackle the issue of smoking using a number of different approaches which evidence suggests could contribute to reducing the number of deaths from smoking.”

    Our Citizens Council, a group which brings the views of the public to NICE’s decision-making, has already recommended in favour of the use of harm reduction as a way to reduce the dangers of smoking. The Citizens Council’s view will feed into the development of the public health guidance for PCTs and NHS smoking cessation services on the use of harm reduction approaches to smoking cessation, says Mr Dillon.

    Martin Dockrell, director of research and policy at the anti-tobacco charity ASH, adds: “NICE has real authority among health professionals so we are extremely pleased to hear about the range of guidance that is to be published.

    “In tackling harm reduction, smokeless tobacco, smuggling and smokefree vehicles, NICE is uniquely placed to identify the latest evidence to support effective local responses.”

    Away from the focus on tackling smoking, NICE has been asked to try and improve donor identification and consent rates for cadaveric organ donation.

    “Producing a short clinical guideline on improving donor identification and consent rates for cadaveric organ donation could help to address the shortage of donor organs in this country. Currently, demand for organ donors far outstrips supply,” says Mr Dillon.

    Additionally, NICE will produce three other short clinical guidelines covering the management of sickle cell disease in hospital, phosphate management in dialysis patients and the safe and effective prescribing of strong opioids in palliative care for adults.

    The Department of Health has also asked NICE to produce clinical guidelines on the diagnosis and management up to the point of dialysis for acute kidney injury, the diagnosis and management of suspected idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis - a progressive form of lung disease, and the management of varicose veins.

    Guidelines will be produced on the recognition and management of schizophrenia presenting before the age of 18 years, and to produce a clinical guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of social phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder).

    NICE will also work in collaboration with the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) to develop a guideline on the recognition, identification and management of conduct disorder in children and young people.

    “We are now keen to begin developing guidance that will help to inform decisions about treatment and healthcare in these areas as soon as possible, and will publish details of the timetables for these topics on our web site shortly,” adds Mr Dillon.

    Source: NICE - 16 March 2010
    Link: http://bit.ly/dggG8d

  • JTI steps up efforts to block smoke ban extension

    Japan Tobacco International (JTI) has joined forces with the Save Our Pubs & Clubs campaign to highlight the danger of an extension to the smoking ban.

    JTI is supporting the Best Creative Outdoor Area award in the Morning Advertiser’s Great British Pub Awards 2010 to highlight best practice making the most of external areas to accommodate customers, including displaced smokers — and to spotlight the threat of a ban extension.

    Launched last year with the support of TV chef and publican Antony Worrall Thompson and MPs from the three main parties, the Save Our Pubs & Clubs campaign is a coalition of groups and individuals who believe that the public smoking ban introduced in Scotland in 2006 and the rest of the United Kingdom in 2007 is excessive and should be amended to allow separate smoking rooms.

    Campaign director Simon Clark said: “By supporting this award we aim to show our commitment to publicans who go that extra mile to accommodate all their customers, including smokers, throughout the year.

    “Although we want the smoking ban amended to allow separate smoking rooms, we also want to highlight the fact that the ban could be extended to doorways and beer gardens with exclusion zones around many public buildings, including pubs and bars.

    “Supporting the Great British Pub Awards gives us the opportunity to highlight this very real threat that could have serious repercussions for publicans and their customers.”

    Jonathan Yajima, JTI’s Head of Horeca and Vending, said: "Our aim to help licensees improve the profitability of their business and accommodate all their customers, including the 10.5 million smokers in the UK.

    “Therefore we are delighted to support both the Best Creative Outdoor Area award at the Morning Advertiser’s Great British Pub Awards 2010 and the Save Our Pubs & Clubs campaign.”

    The Great British Pub Awards 2010 take place on Thursday September 9 at The Hilton, Park Lane, London.

    Source: Morning Advertiser 17 Juney 2010
    Link: http://bit.ly/9NzSd4

  • Parents 'support smoking ban in cars'

    Parents have come out in favour of banning smoking in cars where children are present.

    In a recent piece of research from the British Lung Foundation (BLF), 86 per cent of parents claimed that they would support such a ban.

    Perhaps surprisingly, the figures did not differ greatly between smokers and non-smokers, with 83 per cent of parents who smoked coming out in favour of the move.

    Dame Helen Shovelton, chief executive of the BLF, commented on the proposed ban: "We see this as a natural next step from the ban on smoking in public places. I think if people had thought about it at that time, they probably would have done it.

    "It is much worse if you're inside a small tin box with wheels than if you're in a large room. I don't think it is anything other than the natural next step."

    A "small but significant" reduction in the number of emergency heart attack emissions was recorded following the introduction of the smoking ban for public spaces. 

    Source: Private Treatment News - 17 June 2010
    Link: http://bit.ly/a3e2qf

  • East End shisha bar owners fined for breaking smoking ban

    The owners of a shisha bar in London's East End have appeared in court after health inspectors raided the premises and found 30 people illegally smoking in the basement premises.

    Bilal Miah and Sual Ahmed faced Thames magistrates on summonses for allowing illegal smoking at Whitechapel's Angelz Shisha Bar in Assam Street twice in November and December.

    They continued selling shisha to the public despite earlier warnings from Tower Hamlets council health inspectors, magistrates heard.

    Miah, from Whitechapel, was fined £1,615 including legal costs, his second prosecution for flouting the 'smoke free' legislation. Ahmed, from Bethnal Green, was fined a total of £285 on his first offence.

    Environmental health officers raiding the basement premises discovered 30 people smoking shisha pipes. An electricity supply had been rigged up near water mains to wash the shisha pipes, magistrates heard.

    The council's Environment cabinet member Shahed Ali said after the hearing: "There has been a rise in the number of shisha bars in the East End and we are cracking down on them."

    The authority has been running a campaign with NHS Tower Hamlets about "the harmful affects of shisha smoking" with fact-sheets handed out in bars.

    It has collected around £21,000 in fines and costs from illegal smoking dens since the legislation came in two years ago. 

    Source: East London Advertiser - 17 June 2010
    Link: http://bit.ly/douXOz

  • World Cup Penalty: Nation Smokes More

    Research findings released by Nicorette® show that almost half (46%) of smokers and ex-smokers anticipate smoking more or lighting up again when watching the World Cup.1

    Worryingly, 1 in 6 people who have quit within the last year (15%) believe they are likely to light up again if their country is involved in a penalty shoot out. During the World Cup:

    - A penalty shoot out is most likely to trigger smokers to smoke more (32%)
    - Male smokers are more likely than female smokers to reach for a cigarette (48% vs 44%)
    - 25-34 year olds are the most likely age group to smoke more

    These findings coincide with the launch of The Quitting Edge programme - an initiative designed to help healthcare professionals improve and maintain successful stop smoking attempts within the populations in which they work. A Quitting Edge taskforce of smoking cessation experts today presented recommendations at the UK National Smoking Cessation Congress in Glasgow.

    Smoking Cessation Manager, Russell Moody, said: "Stressful situations such as watching the World Cup, particularly if all your friends go and have a cigarette at half time, can cause people to relapse or smoke more. As experts we have to understand the impact that various life situations have on people's attempts to stop smoking or stay off the cigarettes. So if people think that the coming weeks of football could get too much, help in the form of Nicotine Replacement Therapy for example, should be considered to help them cope with these situations."

    The Quitting Edge programme examines innovation in NRT use and provides practical recommendations to support and build quality stop smoking interventions for the future. The initiative comes as a recent Department of Health document announced new measures to support those smokers who are unwilling or unable to quit tobacco, including innovative NRT use to increase the number of routes available for smokers to help them quit successfully.2

    Making sure that a smoker substitutes enough nicotine using NRT compared with the nicotine intake they used to get from smoking is important in order to maximise their chance of stopping smoking. For example clinical studies have shown that high dose 25mg nicotine patch is 44% more effective at helping a smoker to quit than 15mg patch at 12 weeks.3,4
    Development of The Quitting Edge Programme was funded by McNeil Products Limited, the makers of Nicorette®. 

    Source: MediLexicon - 17 June 2010
    Link: http://bit.ly/cCKdh8

  • New Zealand: 'Insider' to give MPs lowdown on Big Tobacco

    The American tobacco company whistle blower who inspired the Russell Crowe movie The Insider is coming to New Zealand next week to give MPs the inside picture on tobacco company tactics.

    Dr Jeffrey Wigand was head of research at Brown & Williamson - part of the British American Tobacco group - until he was sacked in 1993.

    The 1999 movie starring Crowe and Al Pacino was based on Dr Wigand's fight with the company over his allegations, publicised in explosive CBS television interviews, that the industry had lied over its knowledge that nicotine was addictive and tobacco could cause cancer and other diseases.

    He had worked on developing a "safer" cigarette but said the work was halted because it would be seen as implying the company knew its other cigarettes were unsafe.

    Dr Wigand, a key witness in US anti-tobacco litigation, said he was subjected to an industry smear campaign, a bullet was found in his letterbox and his family was threatened with harm "if I told the truth about the inner workings of the tobacco company I worked for".

    Action on Smoking and Health [NZ] (Ash) is bringing Dr Wigand to New Zealand to give lectures and to give expert evidence to Parliament's Maori Affairs committee, which is conducting an inquiry into the tobacco industry.

    British American Tobacco NZ has given evidence to the committee but Maori Party MP Hone Harawira was frustrated by general manager Graeme Amey's answers on tobacco marketing and his assertion the company had no strategy on marketing tobacco to young Maori. Mr Amey agreed to return with documents to verify this at a hearing now expected to be held on June 30.

    Ash spokesman Michael Colhoun said yesterday it was important for the MPs to hear from a global expert on tobacco like Dr Wigand.

    "They will be better informed about what tactics the tobacco industry uses that they [tobacco companies] haven't admitted to already."

    Smokefree Coalition director Prudence Stone said: "It's important the select committee learns about the deception of the tobacco industry ... just so the Government is made as aware as possible of all those tactics."

    Source: New Zealand Herald - 18 June 2010
    Link: http://bit.ly/bcVH8N