Regulators Encouraged to Support THR Initiatives

The World Health Organization's tobacco control initiatives may save more than 1.8 million lives over the next 40 years if items like e-cigarettes, vapes, snus, and nicotine pouches were used instead of tobacco control measures, as mentioned by a new study . The researchers said that because attempts to stop smoking globally have halted and present methods of tobacco control have proved ineffective, immediate action is needed to address the prevalence of smoking that is still prevalent today.

Researchers discovered that tobacco harm reduction (THR) products, which substitute nicotine replacements for smoking, have the potential to significantly improve health outcomes and save millions of lives in the Middle East when compared to existing methods.

After examining the effects of tobacco use in seven Middle Eastern nations—Pakistan, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—the researchers came to the conclusion that tobacco use causes more than 384,000 premature deaths yearly. In these nations, smoking is linked to a number of leading causes of mortality, such as heart disease, stroke, COPD, lung and oral cancer, and other conditions whose prevalence is expected to rise in the coming decades.

THR products, which utilize nicotine without the lethal metabolites that cause illness, are the best way to lessen this load. THR products—which are much safer than smoking—like e-cigarettes and vapes, heated tobacco products, snus, nicotine pouches, and charcoal-free shisha are quickly gaining popularity among Middle Eastern customers. Nevertheless, medical professionals and governments have failed to adopt these technologies as a way to reduce preventable fatalities.

Accepting THR, quitting, and better lung cancer care offers the Middle East a significant chance to significantly enhance public health.

• Derek Yach, lead author

The paper is released at a time when the body of information supporting the advantages of THR and quitting smoking is growing. A longer lifespan is linked to quitting tobacco smoking at any age, and using THR products is almost twice as successful at quitting as using nicotine replacement treatments. The findings of research using indicators of potential illnesses are encouraging, even if longer-term studies on the health advantages of switching to THR are still required.

The research is released at a crucial moment, as several Middle Eastern nations are lifting their restrictions on some tobacco products and liberalizing their policies regarding tobacco substitutes. As this is going on, cutting-edge THR products are being created specifically for the Middle East, a symptom of the region's increasing consumer demand and acceptance of THR's benefits.

In order to capitalize on the potential of these products, the authors advise training medical professionals to inform patients about the advantages of THR during all clinical visits, squelching false information regarding nicotine and THR's benefits, and creating a local version of the Royal College of Physicians' report on THR and vapes. Along with investing in national science and research to replace tobacco with THR and developing independent, evidence-based consumer organizations to advocate for their needs, the authors advise legislators to amend restrictions to enhance access to THR products. The authors exhort religious leaders to promote tobacco harm reduction and help their populations stop smoking.