Last week, the world’s largest tobacco company was called out by one of Australia’s leading medical organisations for offering incentives to pharmacies that would sell their vaping products.
On Tuesday 2 August, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) called out Philip Morris Limited for their secret payment scheme through pharmacy IT solutions group PharmaPrograms. The details were leaked in an invitation to chemists to participate in the program.
Pharmacies were to receive $275 for ordering the VEEV pods and vapes, then an additional $5 for each time they referred a customer to a GP to obtain a prescription for the product, $10 for educating a customer about the device, and a $5 ‘dispensing support payment’ when they dispensed a new script of the vaping product.
Only three days after the criticism, reports started flowing that PharmaPrograms had decided to put the program on hold. The RACGP welcomed the decision on Friday 5 August, saying it was a David and Goliath win for ethical healthcare and common sense.
In a rare statement, Philip Morris Limited criticised the RACGP, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia and the Australian Medical Association, which had also condemned the program. Philip Morris expressed their disappointment in these bodies for criticising the scheme as they had participated in the establishment of the prescription (nicotine vaping products) model.
Australia’s prescription only model requires people who want to vape nicotine to obtain a prescription from a medical professional. It is a unique initiative to protect non-smokers from widespread e-cigarette exposure while also allowing for medically supervised use of the products to help people quit smoking traditional cigarettes.
RACGP Vice President Dr Bruce Willett said paying pharmacies to stock a product and the requirement of a nicotine prescription were nothing alike.
“Supporting a prescription model for vaping products is one thing but offering financial incentives to pharmacists to not only stock a vaping product but also refer customers to a GP and ‘educate’ people about the device is something else entirely,” Dr Willett said.
Meanwhile, RACGP president Adjunct Professor Karen Price said she hoped this would be the last we hear on the scheme.
“I hope that this diabolic scheme is not just postponed but put to rest and never resuscitated. It has the potential to undermine community trust in pharmacy and we must be always wary of any attempts by big tobacco to attract new, life-long users because they are nothing short of creative when it comes to fresh ideas,” Professor Price said.
She said the tactics by big tobacco is part of the reason the RACGP had been so cautious in their approach to vaping, which is often marketed as an alternative and ‘healthier’ option to smoking.
Professor Emily Banks, Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health from ANU’s Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, applauded the RACGP on their stance on the scheme, saying these companies have no place in Australia’s healthcare system.
“When people go into a pharmacy or take part in any part of the Australian healthcare system, they assume what is offered will be based on best practice, not what companies are paying people,” she said.
In Australia, smoking is our deadliest habit, remaining the number one cause of premature death and disability. Professor Banks said up to two-thirds of smokers will die from their habit, and more than 10 per cent of deaths worldwide each year are attributed to tobacco. It is also the cause of 50 per cent of the deaths in Aboriginal people aged 45 and over.
Australian Government research into the use of e-cigarettes has shown they are harmful to non-smokers, particularly young people. Regarding the marketing tactic that e-cigarettes may help smokers quit, Professor Banks said vaping may be beneficial for those who have tried other methods to quit.
However, she said most people who vape continue to smoke regular cigarettes. Not only are they continuing a life-threatening habit, but they are also adding in an unknown component; experts don’t know how prolonged use could affect issues like cancer and cardiovascular health.
“We don’t know what they do in the long term; it is quite important that people try to avoid long term use,” Professor Banks said.
It is known that vaping can lead to addiction, poisoning, seizures, burns and trauma from exploding devices and lung injuries. She said that some disposable vapes contain the nicotine equivalent of nine or more packets of cigarettes, with each puff of the product like a puff on a regular cigarette.
Professor Banks said research has shown young people who vape are more likely to start smoking, and the marketing of vaping products, with bright colours and sweet flavours, is largely aimed at younger demographics.
“There’s a lot of evidence these companies try and reinvent themselves about caring about people’s health. If they did, they would stop selling cigarettes and stop accruing new smokers, but they continue to do these things.”
If you or someone you know needs help to quit smoking, head to quit.org.au
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