Public health will finance a second drug to quit smoking

• P&R. Electronic cigarettes are not for smoking cessation, 'Champix' yes
• Health.The National Health System finances Champix

The Minister of Health, María Luisa Carcedo, has announced that from next January 1 the National Health System will begin financing bupropion to quit smoking, which will add to the varenicline (trademark, Champix ) in the benefits of the Public health to fight smoking.

This is what Carcedo said after meeting with the president of the National Committee for Smoking Prevention , Andrés Zamorano , a moment he has taken the opportunity to remember that these medicines can benefit around 83,800 people with an estimated budget impact of 7.9 million euros on first year.

Both drugs will be included in the pharmaceutical benefit, after the agreement reached in the Interministerial Commission of Prices and the resolution of the Ministry, said Carcedo, who has insisted that every year there is an average of 51,870 premature deaths attributable to tobacco.

Smoking "is a public health problem and is the main cause of illness and preventable premature death in Spain," said Carcedo, who has claimed "strict compliance" with the current anti-smoking laws.

Carcedo has detailed that the daily cost of the treatment will be about 2.19 euros per person in the case of varenicline and 0.66 euros in that of bupropion, so that a person with a pharmaceutical contribution of 40% would contribute 0, 87 euros a day with the first drug and 0.26 with the second. The treatment is extended for 12 weeks and the prescription is carried out for one month, after which its effectiveness is assessed before issuing the following prescription.

It will be in the primary care where it is defined which medical professionals will be in charge of this benefit that public health will finance once a year by electronic prescription to patients who are included in an individual or group support program and meet the established criteria. These are: having express motivation to quit smoking with at least one attempt in the last year, smoking ten or more cigarettes a day and having a high level of dependence.

A "historical milestone"

Zamorano, who has described the incorporation of these two drugs into the National Health System as a "historic milestone," said that bupropion was already financed by public health with "a commercial name that has an indication of major depression."

"They took him out to quit smoking, then they saw that it was also effective for depression and they left him with an indication on the data sheet for this," insisted the president of the CNPT, detailing that doctors cannot prescribe drugs for something other than that you put in your data sheet.

He pointed out that, although its effectiveness is proven, "its mechanism of action is more unknown" than that of varenicline, although "it seems that it produces some increase in some brain substances that decrease the so-called reward effect and the desire to smoke" .

On varenicline, Zamorano has stated that it is a drug that blocks the receptors that the brain has for nicotine and acts in two ways: when smoking, the first week of treatment (in which it is allowed) decreases the reward effect, and " at the same time, joining the receptors reduces withdrawal syndrome. "

He has also said that his success rates, estimated at 35% abandonment , are very similar, while the secretary of the Committee, Leyre Gaztelurrutia , explained that bupropion has more contraindications than varenicline, which "is a nicer drug. ".

On the other hand, the minister has indicated that during the meeting with the Committee, the ability to act before the announcements of " vapers " has been analyzed and said that "advertising on tobacco products is contemplated in the law of 2005, so that the rules should be modified to regulate the consumption of these products in the public sphere. "

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

• Smoking
• Health

LOCMore at age 90 Robert Norris, the cowboy with Marlboro cigarettes who never smoked

'Case Sala'A witness of the crime of the Sala to the Police: "Here is my blood and my body for whatever you want"

CourtsShadows and doubts that dot the Legion after Alejandro's death