Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

E-cigarettes could be available on NHS in world first

E-cigarettes could be available on NHS in world first

ENGLAND could soon become world’s first country to prescribe e-cigarettes as a medical product to help people stop smoking tobacco products.

With health secretary Sajid Javid welcoming the latest step towards the licensing process for manufacturers, e-cigarettes could be prescribed on the NHS.


Javid said: “This country continues to be a global leader on healthcare, whether it’s our Covid-19 vaccine rollout saving lives or our innovative public health measures reducing people’s risk of serious illness.

“Opening the door to a licensed e-cigarette prescribed on the NHS 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.”

For licensing, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has invited manufacturers to submit their products for approval to be prescribed.

The regulator is also publishing updated guidance, paving the way for medicinally licensed e-cigarettes to be prescribed for smokers who wish to quit.

The MHRA approval will enable clinicians to decide on a case-by-case basis whether to prescribe an e-cigarette to NHS patients for smoking cessation.

However, non-smokers and children are strongly advised against using e-cigarettes.

The debate

There has been much debate over the years about whether e-cigarettes should be used for this purpose.

E-cigarettes contain nicotine and are not risk free, but experts from the UK and US say its regulated usage is less harmful than smoking, as they do not produce tar or carbon monoxide.

The aerosol used in e-cigarettes contains some potentially harmful chemicals also found in other cigarettes, but are at much lower levels, they say.

Moreover, a medically licensed e-cigarette will have to go through more rigorous safety checks than the ones sold commercially.

A report co-authored by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) and Cancer Research UK (CRUK) has also recommended providing e-cigarette packs to smokers to help them quit.

In 2020, it was found that e-cigarettes were the most popular product used by smokers trying to quit in England. Amongst those trying to quit smoking, 27.2 per cent use e-cigarettes while 18.2 per cent use nicotine replacement therapy products such as patches and gum.

Smoking - big concern

Smoking remains the leading preventable cause of premature deaths with around 6.1 million active smokers in England.

Almost 64,000 people died from smoking in England in 2019 and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) is supporting efforts to improve public health and ensure communities across the country have equal health outcomes.

Besides, the government will soon publish a new Tobacco Control Plan to set out the roadmap for achieving a smoke-free England by 2030.

More For You

Bangladesh-protests-Getty

Anti-government protesters display Bangladesh’s national flag at Sheikh Hasina’s palace in Dhaka last year. (Photo: Getty Images)

Bangladesh Election Commission announces roadmap for February polls

BANGLADESH’s Election Commission (EC) on Thursday released a roadmap for the general election, expected to be held in February next year.

The poll schedule will be announced at least 60 days before the voting date, officials said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Karim Khan misconduct

International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan, attends a United Nations Security Council meeting on Sudan and South Sudan at the United Nations headquarters on January 27, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Second woman accuses ICC prosecutor Karim Khan of sexual misconduct

A SECOND woman has accused Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), of sexual misconduct, reported the Guardian.

The woman alleged that while working as an intern for Khan more than a decade ago, he repeatedly subjected her to unwanted sexual advances, abused his senior position, and pressured her into situations where she felt unsafe.

Keep ReadingShow less
chicken-pox-istock

The Department of Health said the rollout would reduce missed days at nursery and school, cut time parents take off work, and save the NHS about £15 million a year. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

England to introduce free chickenpox vaccine for children from 2026

CHILDREN in England will be offered a free chickenpox vaccine for the first time from January 2026, the government has announced.

GP practices will give eligible children a combined vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) as part of the routine childhood vaccination schedule. Around half a million children each year are expected to be protected.

Keep ReadingShow less
modi-japan

Modi is on a two-day visit to Japan from August 29 to 30. (Photo: X/@narendramodi)

X/@narendramodi

India, Japan to expand partnership; Modi to meet Xi, Putin next

Highlights:

  • Modi says India and Japan will work together to “shape the Asian Century”
  • Japan to announce $68 billion investment in India over 10 years
  • Modi to attend SCO summit in China, meet Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin
  • India and Japan to deepen cooperation in trade, technology and security

PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi on Thursday said India and Japan will work together to “shape the Asian Century,” as he began a two-nation visit that will also take him to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

Keep ReadingShow less
London migrant hotel protest
People demonstrate near the Bell Hotel on July 20, 2025 in Epping, England. (Photo: Getty Images)
Getty Images

Government moves to overturn hotel migrant housing ban

Highlights:

  • Government appeals against injunction blocking asylum housing at Bell Hotel in Epping
  • More than 32,000 asylum seekers currently housed in UK hotels
  • Labour pledges to end hotel use for asylum seekers before 2029 election

THE UK government on Thursday asked the Court of Appeal to lift a ban on housing asylum seekers at a hotel that has faced protests, warning the order could set "a precedent".

Keep ReadingShow less