ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, July 5, 1996 TAG: 9607050076
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-9 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
SOURCE: Associated Press
The Food and Drug Administration approved the first nicotine patch for sales without prescriptions Wednesday, giving smokers easier access to Nicotrol to help them kick the habit.
Smokers began buying nicotine chewing gum over-the-counter in April, but they also have called for nonprescription patches to send nicotine straight into the bloodstream.
The FDA's decision means McNeil Consumer Products can beat its competition to the pharmacy shelves with one-dose nicotine patches that smokers are supposed to use once a day for six weeks.
Nicotrol by prescription hasn't been a cure-all for the cravings smokers experience as they try to quit, and the over-the-counter version won't be either, the FDA warned.
About 20 percent of smokers who tried nonprescription Nicotrol, which comes with a special audiotape support program, succeeded in quitting for a month, about the same success rate of various anti-smoking aids.
``If you still have cravings after six weeks, check with your doctor,'' advised Dr. Debra Bowen, the FDA's director of over-the-counter drugs. ``It can take a couple of tries for people to quit.''
McNeil said smokers can buy the first nonprescription Nicotrol on July 18. An exact price wasn't named, but McNeil estimated consumers will spend almost $30 a week. Although that's comparable to today's prescription price before insurance coverage kicks in, the switch may take more out of smokers' pockets because few insurers pay for over-the-counter drugs.
Some 46 million Americans smoke, and the government says it kills 400,000 a year. Surveys show three-fourths of smokers want to quit but have failed or fear trying.
LENGTH: Short : 41 linesby CNB