E-cigarettes Are 'A Good Way to Quit Smoking,' Irish Health Authorities Say

According to an analysis conducted by Dublin health authorities, e-cigarettes are a cost-effective way to help people quit smoking.

Ireland’s Health Information and Quality Authority said yesterday that increased use of e-cigarettes would lead to more people successfully giving up smoking.

In a 700-page report, it stated that e-cigarettes are cost-effective and could save taxpayers millions each year in spending on tobacco and on treating smoking-related diseases.

However, when releasing its final report after public consultation, the health authority acknowledged that the long-term effects of using e-cigarettes have not yet been determined.

Dr. Mairin Ryan, Director of Health Technology Assessment at the agency, emphasized that there remains “considerable uncertainty” about the clinical and cost-effectiveness of e-cigarettes.

“The analysis indicates that increasing the use of inhaled e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid would increase the number of people who successfully quit smoking compared with the current situation in Ireland, and would be cost-effective, provided that the current evidence for their effectiveness is confirmed by further research,” Dr. Ryan said.

The report said that a more effective but more expensive way to help people quit smoking is to combine the nicotine dependence drug varenicline with nicotine gum, patches, inhalers, or sprays. However, this approach does not address the habitual hand-to-mouth aspect of smoking, and quit rates remain quite low at present.

Ireland is the only EU country to include e-cigarettes in a national assessment of how best to help citizens quit smoking. It currently spends more than $750 million each year helping people give up smoking.