Ministers are hoping to cut smoking rates in England by paving the way for e-cigarettes to be prescribed on the NHS, reports The Guardian.

England could become the first country in the world to prescribe medicinally licensed e-cigarettes after the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) published updated guidance, according to The Guardian. 3.6 million adults in Britain are thought to already use e-cigarettes and doctors and health campaigners see the new move as a positive step in the right direction.
“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,” said health secretary Sajid Javid.
Prof Linda Bauld, the Bruce and John Usher chair in public health at the University of Edinburgh, also applauded the move saying, “While there is good evidence that e-cigarettes available as consumer products can help smokers to quit, we also know that up to one in three smokers in the UK has not tried these devices.”
Manufacturers of e-cigarettes can now submit their products to MHRA where they will undergo the same regulatory approvals process as all other medicines available on the NHS. According to The Guardian, if approved, doctors can decided on a case-by-case basis whether to prescribe an e-cigarette to a patient to help them quit smoking. However, the NHS has already said it will only prescribe e-cigarettes if the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has given it the go-ahead first. “The NHS will not be prescribing e-cigarettes unless Nice recommends them for use,” a spokesperson said.