11 replies to this topic

[samuelmunro]

http://www.portsmout...paign_1_3400271

Smokers that want to quick are actively being encouraged to go the NRT route and not "cold turkey" does anyone else see the irony here.

[BigJ]

Nope. I'm seeing the money-grubbing cynicism, the disinformation by omission, the obfuscation of public health issues by vested interests and the disgraceful abuse of statistics, but not any actual irony. After all, NRT has been consistently shown by meta-analysis of dozens of long-term studies to be more effective either than placebo or unassisted quitting.

What's disingenuous is that when you look at the figures for beyond52 weeks, the continuous cessation rates plummet until there's little difference between NRT-assisted quitting and cold turkey (which is somewhat counter-intuitive when you think about it). Moreover, NRT is only consistently efficacious when bolstered by long-term intensive programmes of behavioural therapy or other forms of relapse-prevention treatment; which Pfizer, of course, cannot provide.

It's self-serving, low-minded marketing puff by Big Pharma... but it's not ironic, just shameful.

[gotmoremilk]

nrt 95% failure rate need i say more

[steffijade]

BigJ, on 09 January 2012 - 12:19 PM, said:

Nope. I'm seeing the money-grubbing cynicism, the disinformation by omission, the obfuscation of public health issues by vested interests and the disgraceful abuse of statistics, but not any actual irony. After all, NRT has been consistently shown by meta-analysis of dozens of long-term studies to be more effective either than placebo or unassisted quitting.

What's disingenuous is that when you look at the figures for beyond52 weeks, the continuous cessation rates plummet until there's little difference between NRT-assisted quitting and cold turkey (which is somewhat counter-intuitive when you think about it). Moreover, NRT is only consistently efficacious when bolstered by long-term intensive programmes of behavioural therapy or other forms of relapse-prevention treatment; which Pfizer, of course, cannot provide.

It's self-serving, low-minded marketing puff by Big Pharma... but it's not ironic, just shameful.

Very well put. +1

[OldEngineGuy]

Also, a misconception made in lots of these campaigns is portraying nicotine as the bad guy, an example is a reply on that site... "if you realy want to, you'll stay nicotene free."...Wheras we know that the real health hazard is the TOBACCO.

Alan.

[Tommy2bad]

OldEngineGuy, on 09 January 2012 - 02:46 PM, said:

Also, a misconception made in lots of these campaigns is portraying nicotine as the bad guy, an example is a reply on that site...
"if you realy want to, you'll stay nicotene free."...Wheras we know that the real health hazard is the TOBACCO.

Alan.

No sure it a misconception as much as misinformation. Moving the goal posts as it were.
Remember when the slogan was smoke free, then tobacco free, now nicotine free.
Smoke free when cigs were the option. Tobacco free as snus became available and suddenly nic free since E-cigs turned up.
All competition for NRT (which I belive BP is now trying to get the FDA to use the term tobacco harm reduction for their products) must be eliminated.

[spikeychops]

As for nicotine being the bad guy...just seen a press association headline 'Nicotine can slow mental decline'.

(but specifically mentions patches, nothing else)

Considering the bad press nic patches have gotten, am i just being too cynical in thinking this is an invented market for Pharma to peddle?

Quote

Nicotine patches can improve the memory of elderly people experiencing early mental decline, research has shown.

The small pilot study, though not conclusive, may point the way to new treatments that delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. Scientists carried out memory and thinking skill tests on 67 individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) over a period of six months.

Half the participants, who had an average age of 76, were treated daily with 15 milligrams of nicotine administered via a skin patch. The others were asked to wear a "dummy" placebo patch containing no active medication.

By the end of the study the nicotine-treated group had regained 46% of normal long term memory for their age. Their ability to pay attention also improved.

Suspicious of anything BP does these days.

'67 test subjects'...'76 year average age'...lazy made up stats (numbers are reversed)?

They go on to say smoking is not the recommended nic delivery system...patches are (of course)...then there's the phrase '"dummy" placebo patch'..code for shift the patches on the dumb dumbs?

Edited by spikeychops, 09 January 2012 - 11:05 PM.

[Rusty]

The people here know that we have tried to be manipulated - and we should all put our fingers in the air and say 'we've sussed you, you c@nts!!'.

I just wish we could get more smokers on our side and stick up for our own 'legal' life choices. It does not matter if you are a smoker, a vaper of something in between. We enjoy our pastime and NEED to defend it

[Toby]

Yes Rusty, indeed!

..but (speaking for myself) I have never tried to be manipulated...

Rusty, on 09 January 2012 - 11:21 PM, said:

we have tried to be manipulated

[Rusty]

Sorry Toby, bad English!!

Perhaps "they have tried to manipulate us" would have been better - it was late and I'd had a few - if that is any defence

[gotmoremilk]

there was a report in the paper today nrt products worth 100 million a year in the UK and 500 million a year in the USA

[dasnk]

I wonder what criteria they have for NRT success rate. For instance, during my 17 year smoking career, there was 1 year where I managed to quit, with the aid of nicotine gum. So i could have been included in those stats for that year... but then i started smoking again a year later. I wonder how many 'success' there are like that, and is it the same people being recycled in the success stats, as they make periodical attempts to quit, with short term success. I find e-cigarette to be more realistic for longterm health benefits, there is no success/failure to it.

Edited by dasnk, 12 January 2012 - 09:46 AM.