An MHRA document reveals the government believes the e-cigarette can save lives and be used as part of a tobacco harm reduction strategy - but will reclassification as medicine limit availability?

Published on February 05, 2010 by James Dunworth (OfficialWire) LONDON, ENGLAND

 A new Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) consultation document states that licensed electronic cigarettes and similar products could:

• lead to smokers living longer
• help smokers quit
• be an option for those who don't want to quit nicotine

Saving Lives

Smokers who use the electronic cigarette or similar products to quit cigarettes will live longer, the document states, estimating that the average gain in life will be more than three and a half years. (MHRA CONSULTATION LETTER MLX 364 p.24)