Smokers could be given e-cigarettes for free on the NHS

E-cigarettes could be given to smokers for free on the NHS as part of new plans to help people quit (TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images))

England could become the first country in the world to offer e-cigarettes on prescription to smokers to help them quit, after the UK’s medicines regulator updated its guidance for quitting smoking.

The move has been welcomed by the Health Secretary Sajid Javid and the chief executive of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) who said “the evidence is clear” that they’re less harmful.

The MHRA has updated its guidance for people who want to quit smoking to allow e-cigarette manufacturers to submit their products for regulatory approval in the same way that other medicines available via the health service are.

Dr June Raine, chief executive of the MHRA, said: “The evidence is clear that e-cigarettes are less harmful to health than smoking tobacco and that nicotine-containing e-cigarettes can help people quit smoking for good.

“The updated guidance on licensing requirements we have published today is a strong first step towards availability of safe and effective licensed e-cigarette products.”

This would mean that e-cigarettes approved for use by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) could be prescribed to patients as a treatment.

64,000 smoking deaths in 2019

E-cigarettes are currently regulated as consumer products, and while non-smokers and children are strongly advised against using them, the are proven to be less harmful than smoking.

Health secretary Sajid Javid said: “Opening the door to a licensed e-cigarette prescribed on the NHS has the potential to tackle the stark disparities in smoking rates across the country, helping people stop smoking wherever they live and whatever their background.”

The change has come about following a consultation with the E-Cigarette Expert Working Group, made up of UK experts who provided independent oversight and advice to the MHRA

Almost 64,000 people died from smoking in England in 2019 while there are still around 6.1 million smokers in the nation, according to figures given by the Department for Health.