Electronic cigarettes prescribed in pharmacies: “It would be good news for quitting smoking”

It is a real stone in the pond that François Braun threw on Sunday. Questioned by the RTL-LCI-Le Figaro Grand Jury, the Minister of Health said he was in favor of banning "puff", these disposable electronic cigarettes which are all the rage with young people and which are accused of leading to smoking part of them.

On the other hand, François Braun opened the door to the delivery of electronic cigarettes in pharmacies, or even to their reimbursement by Social Security. "I plan to open this possibility of prescription also to pharmacists who are confronted with these smokers who want to quit", declared the minister, while the discussions for the next government tobacco plan, planned for the period 2023-2028 , are in class.

Nicotine substitutes (patches, gums), which are already sold in pharmacies, could also be prescribed by pharmacists and covered. Until then, doctors, dentists, physiotherapists were authorized to do so, but not pharmacists. The Federation of Pharmaceutical Unions of France had made the request to François Braun. "It would be a good thing to simplify the process and allow anyone to go directly to the pharmacy to be reimbursed," said its president, Philippe Besset.

If the Minister's remarks come to fruition, the role of pharmacies in smoking cessation would thus be strengthened. "Pharmacists can completely prescribe electronic cigarettes provided they are properly trained", reacted on France Info Loïc Josserand, president of the Alliance against tobacco. “A pharmacist can completely manage withdrawal in his pharmacy without any difficulty. »

However, there is no question of transforming the pharmacy into an "annex" of vaping shops and tobacco shops. If electronic cigarettes were authorized for sale in pharmacies, “it would surely be a more restricted and adapted range, a price set by the public authorities, with reimbursement for a previously defined period, warns Philippe Besset. The experts will agree. Weaning usually lasts three months. Australia has thus authorized the delivery of electronic cigarettes in pharmacies, in only two flavors, tobacco and menthol.

Today, the sale of electronic cigarettes is prohibited in pharmacies in France. If marketed in pharmacies, these products would be considered medical devices. They would require the approval of the Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM). If François Braun's idea is accepted, it will be the subject of discussions within the framework of the Social Security financing bill for 2024. This would be "good news for quitting smoking", concludes Philippe Besset .

If the British public authorities have been encouraging vaping as a tool for smoking cessation for several years, France was until then much more reserved, to the chagrin of professionals in the sector.

As for the prohibition of "puff", sold illegally to many teenagers, it is making its way into the political class and public opinion. The sale of "puff" has recently been the subject of several exchanges between the Confederation of tobacconists and the Interministerial Mission against Drugs and Addictive Behaviors (Mildeca). The tobacconists, some of whom are accused of turning a blind eye to the age of customers, say they are in favor of better supervision of the sale of this product.