FDA to Weigh Safety of OTP's

Last week the Food and Drug Administration held a 3 day meeting to discuss the safety and risks associated with "dissolvable" products.

"Dissolvables" are flavored mints, strips and sticks of smokeless tobacco. These products are not stop-smoking aids. Instead, they are designed to allow people to satisfy their cravings for nicotine in places where smoking is banned.

Although not available nationwide....yet, RJ Reynolds is completing test marketing in two cities and Star Scientific markets two products that are available now (Ariva and Stonewall).

These products worry many public health advocates due to risks these products pose to children and teens, whether that's addiction or nicotine poisoning. The risk of accidental ingestion, which results in poisoning, is already on the rise. According to a 2010 study published in Pediatrics, smokeless products are the second most common cause of nicotine poisoning in children....behind cigarettes.

So all eyes are on the FDA. It was the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act that gives authority over the manufacture, distribution and marketing of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products.

http://www.healthfinder.gov/news/newstory.aspx?Docid=660712&source=govdelivery

Just More Proof

A study released this week from Massachuetts showed that....for every dollar spent in smoking prevention three dollars are saved!! Its always been known that prevention improves health and saves lives, now we can see that it saves money.

George Washington University, who conducted the study, found that members who quit smoking saved three times the cost of the program in fewer heat-related hospitalizations after just over one year. The studey did not take into account the benefits of avoiding cancer or other long-term smoking related illnesses.

The study has some added weight because it's one of just a few that conclude that the state's landmark health care law is making people healthier and saving money. To date there has been a lot of speculation, but very little proof.

For more information about the study, use the link below:

http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2012/01/smoking-cessation/