E-Cigarette Direct welcomes plans for England to become the first country in the world to prescribe e-cigarettes:

James Dunworth, Chairman of E-Cigarette Direct said: “It is a hugely significant moment for our industry to learn that England could become the first country in the world to prescribe e-cigarettes as a medical product. We welcome the message from the Government – that vaping is an effective way to quit smoking, and safe enough to be prescribed as a medicine.

“As a long-established company working within this industry, we look forward to understanding more about today’s development when the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) publishes updated guidance with more details on these plans, by which stage we should be able to comment more fully on the proposals and what it means for the industry and people.”

In today’s news announcement by the Department of Health and Social Care on the www.gov.uk website, it states that e-cigarettes were the most popular aid used by smokers trying to quit in England last year. It says e-cigarettes have been shown to be highly effective in supporting those trying to quit, with 27.2% of smokers using them compared with 18.2% using nicotine replacement therapy products such as patches and gum. And it adds that today’s move would support the Government ambition for England to be smoke-free by 2030. The next stage of the process will see the medical regulator work with manufacturers to assess safety and effectiveness of products.