A survey of almost 600 pharmacies in Western Australia has revealed more than half are choosing not to stock vapes, with many of them concerned about supplying an unregulated product.
It comes as concerns were raised at a tobacco control conference that the tobacco industry is trying to infiltrate the pharmaceutical space.
Unlike nicotine-replacement products such as nicotine gums and patches, there are no therapeutic vapes that have been evaluated by drugs regulator the Therapeutic Goods Administration as safe for commercial supply.
As of October under federal legislation, a prescription is no longer required for a vape, and they can be supplied at a pharmacist’s discretion to anyone 18 and over for smoking cessation.
However, some states, including Tasmania and WA, are introducing their own regulations requiring prescriptions.
CEO of the Australian Council of Smoking and Health (Acosh), Laura Hunter, said Acosh had contacted 595 pharmacies to ask if they were supplying vapes.
“41% of WA pharmacies told us they currently stock them,” she said.
“The remaining 59% indicated they were not stocking them, with reasons varying from uncertainty as to what the new laws were and preferences to wait until this becomes clearer, to some who felt they were not comfortable stocking them at all.”
Hunter said it is still early days.
“While the federal laws are now in place, we have a highly dynamic situation with [some governments] bringing back the need for doctors to prescribe,” she said. “It’s likely that many pharmacists are also watching and waiting to see if and how the landscape will change again.”
A spokeswoman for the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) said the PSA does not collect dispensing data.
“The fact that products are unapproved by TGA is, anecdotally, the reason some are choosing not to supply,” she said.
A TGA spokesman said pharmacists have supplied vapes without a prescription 2,889 times since 1 October, when the requirement under federal rules for a prescription ended.
However, this data only captures non-prescription vapes. The number also doesn’t reflect the actual number of vapes given out, as each notification could cover multiple vape products, the spokesman said.
It comes as cancer and tobacco control experts met from Tuesday at the Oceania Tobacco Control Conference on the Gold Coast. Hosted by the NSW, WA and Qld Cancer Councils, concerns were raised about tobacco companies which own several vape brands trying to cut deals with pharmacists to supply their products, or to run education sessions for pharmacists.
Professor of medicine and director of the University of California, San Francisco tobacco research centre, Pamela Ling, told attenders on Thursday that tobacco companies want their nicotine vaping products to look therapeutic in order “to be treated like nicotine-replacement therapy, without going through the process to be certified” by regulators.
“Nicotine addiction is not trivial,” she said.
“Those of us working with people trying to quit know this. We need to counter this idea that nicotine is like caffeine.” She said nicotine gummies and pouches targeting children are worrying products increasingly being promoted.
A tobacco control researcher with the Daffodil Centre in Sydney, Dr Christina Watts, agreed that the tobacco industry “wants to position themselves as a legitimate wellness and pharmaceutical supplier”.
Cancer Council NSW director of prevention and advocacy, Anita Dessaix, said: “The Australian community should be concerned and has the right to know if tobacco industry-owned vaping companies are attempting to engage with community pharmacists”.
PSA’s guidelines for nicotine dependence support participating pharmacists to “consider avoiding products that are manufactured by the tobacco industry or companies with links to the tobacco industry”.
Dr Barbara Mintzes, a professor of evidence-based pharmaceutical policy, said she was concerned the guidance is not strong enough.
“There is little guidance for pharmacists in general on interactions with industry either through professional societies or pharmacy education,” Mintzes said.
“Pharmaceutical companies regularly run so-called ‘patient support’ programs in pharmacies which involve the pharmacist getting a kickback for each enrolled patient. These are highly questionable from a professional practice perspective.”
