LONDON, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- England could become the first in the world to prescribe medicinally licensed e-cigarettes to help reduce smoking rates, Britain's Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) announced Friday.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is publishing updated guidance that paves the way for medicinally licensed e-cigarette products to be prescribed for tobacco smokers who wish to quit smoking, said the department.
E-cigarettes are currently available commercially and are popular as a safer alternative to smoking cigarettes.
"Opening the door to a licensed e-cigarette prescribed on the NHS (National Health Service) 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," said British Health Secretary Sajid Javid.
A spokesperson for DHSC said if a product receives MHRA approval, clinicians could then decide on a case-by-case basis whether it would be appropriate to prescribe an e-cigarette to NHS patients to help them quit smoking.
Smoking is the leading preventable cause of premature death in England where around 6.1 million people smoke cigarettes. There are also stark differences in rates across England, with smoking rates in north England seaside town Blackpool at 23.4 percent poles apart from rates in wealthier Richmond upon Thames where just 8 percent of the population smoke cigarettes.
