Nicotine patch PBS listing will help low income Australians quit smoking
AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said today that the listing of nicotine patches on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) would help thousands of Australians quit their killer smoking habit.
Dr Pesce said that the decision would especially benefit people in lower socio-economic status groups who tend to have higher smoking rates than the general population.
“The AMA recommended to the Preventative Health Taskforce that any strategy for preventing tobacco use should include measures targeted at people with particularly high smoking rates,” Dr Pesce said.
“The Preventative Health Taskforce shared the AMA’s concerns and called for programs to subsidise nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) for high-risk groups.
“These high-risk groups include the unemployed, those unable to work, many people living in areas with the least socio-economic resources or living in remote areas, and Indigenous Australians.
“The decision by the PBAC to subsidise NRT will help these highly disadvantaged people overcome the expense of NRT.
“It will make it easier for them to quit the killer habit, and it will save the lives of thousands of Australians.
“The AMA applauds the decision and commends the Government for its strong commitment to anti-smoking initiatives this year,” Dr Pesce said.
9 December 2010
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