Tobacco Documents Online

U E C 'L 1993 1 RAL•S4(dPT December 1, 1993 7t00-9:00 AX(ET) AHC-TV Good Korninq America Charlie Gibson, co-host: There are a couple doz4n over-the-counter pi'oduots sold at druqstores desiqned to help tmokers stop saoking. Wall as of today, theylre banned. The Food and Druq 7ldministration is banning them. The reason is they don't work. They don't hurt, they just don't qet you to atop. So drugstores can sell out present inventories of products like Ciqarrest, Smokers Choice and Call It Quits, but no new supplies can be shipped out. (Visual of.above-cited products) With us this morninq is Dr. Kichael Fiore, director of the Center of Tobacco Research and Intervention at the University of Wisconsin. Good to hava you here. Dr. xichael Fiore (Director, Center For Tobacco >btesaarch and Intervention): Good morning. Gibson: I should smphasize it~s just the over-the- counter products that are qoinq away. Fiora: A real importantpo int. And I think this is good news for consumers who, in the past, have qone into druqstores seriously wanting to quit and have been faced with a barraqe of products, over-the-counter products, none of which have been shown to be safe and effective. Gibson: You don't think they're worth anythinq then? Fiore: wsll, I think that it depends on the individual. But with seventeen million Americans tryinq to quit every year, sctivated to quit, what we waAt to do is qive thea the best shot possible. And we now know that some produ ccta, specifically nicotine patch and nicotine qum, have been shown to be both safe and ef f ective. AM letOs steer p.ople who want to quit to produets we know that work. Gibson: okay, and we should underline that. The nicotine patches and the nicotine gum, which have been ~y proven to be effective... Q Fiore: Exactly. ~ W ~ (Cont'd) . i.~ W

U E C 2 1993 rConl'dl Gibson: ...are still available, but by prescription. Fiore: Exactly. Gibaon: it is just the over-tho-counter products that qo away. Fiore: Correct. Gibson: All right. But that means, if you're motivated to Quit, want to do it, now you have to go to a doctor, you have to qet a prescription. So why areno t these things available over the counter, the patches and the qm? Piore: Well, they contain a druq, and the druq is nicotine. And currently they are available prescription only. (Visual: Nicoretta and N codarm products) Theyfre being tested, thouqh, to sas if in fact they will becosle ovar-the-eountar products. Until we're aura they're both safe and effective over the counter, still one needs to go see their doctor. And I think there's another important reason to ses your doctor, because you'll qet some helpful advice, counsellinq, to deal with some of the habitual and psychological aspects of smoking. The nicotine patches and qun take the edqe off the physical withdraval symptons, but you also need to break some of the habit and psycholoqically addictive parts. And that's why visiting your doctor will really help. Gibson: It is-are there percentages on what percentage of saokers who try the patch, who try the gus, actually can quit? Fiore: Well, vol ve shown, in fact, that if-you look at people a year after they've tried to quit, between twenty and forty percent who use the nicotine patch will be succesaful. And that•s really a pretty impressiva statistic for a powerful addiction thatSvrq eon General lcoop says is as addictive as heroin or cocaine. Gibson: You mentioned twenty to forty percent. Are the people more apt to quit lonq term if they taka the kind of psychological counselling that you mentioned in addition to the patch? Fiore: Yeah. I think the real important point is that smokers are first individuals. And therets really no maqic bullet that is perfect for every saoker. But if a persoa wants to maximizaa their likelihood of sncceseful quitting, see your doctor, get some simple ;Cont'd1

u t G 'L 1V9j :Cont'd1 couns.llinq and advice, and probably a product like the nicotine patch will givi you your best likelihood of succecsfully quitting. 0 Gibson: If th. over-the-counter things don't hurt, why ban them? Fiora: Wail, whon we see the impact of cigarettes on our society--more than four hundred thousand Americans who dia, one out of every five deaths directly caused by ciqaratte smokinq--when we know that eiqht out of tan smokers want desperately to quit, we want to qiva them the bast shot poscible that they will succeed. And if thsy're going to go and they're motivated to quit, lat"s direct them at products that ws knov that work, and that's the nicotine patch and the nicotine qua. Gibaon: So these ware defective or Ialse hope? Botter to got rid of them? - Fiorr: W.11, I think that--let's qive them the bast- ahot likelihood, and as people move toward the holiday s.ason when so many people think about quittinq , iVs a wondnrful opportunity to say, "I'm going to quit and quit for qood.~ See you doctor and youl ll be able to do it this year. Gibson: The bect prasant probably a smoker oan give his rnlatives is to quit. Fiore: To qive both themselves and their loved ones. Gibson: Thanks very much. Fiore: Thank you. C f 1 0