A survey of tobacco dependence treatment guidelines in 31 countries

Aims The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) asks countries to develop and disseminate comprehensive evidence‐based guidelines and promote adequate treatment for tobacco dependence, yet to date no summary of the content of existing guidelines exists. This paper describes the national tobacco dependence treatment guidelines of 31 countries. Design, setting, participants A questionnaire on tobacco dependence treatment guidelines was sent by e‐mail to a convenience sample of contacts working in tobacco control in 31 countries in 2007. Completed questionnaires were received from respondents in all 31 countries. During the course of these enquiries we also made contact with people in 14 countries that did not have treatment guidelines and sent them a short questionnaire asking about their plans to produce guidelines. Measurements The survey instrument was a 17‐item questionnaire asking the following key questions: do the guidelines recommend brief interventions, intensive behavioural support, medications; which medications; do the guidelines apply to the whole health‐care system and all professionals; do they refer explicitly to the Cochrane database; are they based on another country's guidelines; are they national or more local; are they endorsed formally by government; did they undergo peer review; who funded them; where were they published; do they include evidence on cost effectiveness of treatment? Findings According to respondents, all their countries' guidelines recommended brief advice, intensive behavioural support and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT); 84% recommended bupropion; 19% recommended varenicline; and 35% recommended telephone quitlines. Nearly half (48%) included cost‐effectiveness evidence. Seventy‐one per cent were supported formally by their government and 65% were supported financially by the government. Most (84%) used the Cochrane reviews as a source of evidence, 84% underwent a peer review process and 55% were based on the guidelines of other countries, most often the United States and England. Conclusion Overall, the guidelines reviewed followed the evidence base closely, recommending brief interventions, intensive behavioural support and NRT, and most recommended bupropion. Varenicline was not on the market in most of the countries in this survey when their guidelines were written, illustrating the need for guidelines to be updated periodically. None recommended interventions not proven to be effective, and some recommended explicitly against specific interventions (for lack of evidence). Most were peer‐reviewed, many through lengthy and rigorous procedures, and most were endorsed or supported formally by their governments. Some countries that did not have guidelines expressed a need for technical support, emphasizing the need for countries to share experience, something the FCTC process is well placed to support.     

A survey of tobacco dependence treatment services in 36 countries

Aims   This paper reports the results of a survey of national tobacco dependence treatment services in 36 countries. The objective was to describe the services and discuss the results in the context of Article 14 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which asks countries to promote adequate treatment for tobacco dependence.
Design, setting and participants   A questionnaire on tobacco dependence treatment services was e-mailed to a convenience sample of contacts in 2007. Completed questionnaires were received from contacts in 36 countries.
Measurements   The survey instrument was a 10-item questionnaire asking about treatment policy and practice, including medications.
Findings   According to our informants, fewer than half the countries in our survey had an official written policy on (44%), or a government official responsible for (49%), treatment. Only 19% had a specialized national treatment system and only 24% said help was easily available in general practice. Most countries (94%) allowed the sale of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), bupropion (75%) and varenicline (69%) but only 40% permitted NRT on 'general sale'. Very few countries responding to the question fully reimbursed any of the medications. Fewer than half (45%) fully reimbursed brief advice and only 29% fully reimbursed intensive specialist support. Only 31% of countries said that their official treatment policy included the mandatory recording of patients' smoking status in medical notes.
Conclusion   Taken together, our findings show that few countries have well-developed tobacco dependence treatment services and that, at a national level, treatment is not yet a priority in most countries.     

Fixed‐dose combination therapy to reduce the growing burden of cardiovascular disease in low‐ and middle‐income countries: feasibility and challenges

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has become a major concern in low‐ and middle‐income countries, which bear about 80% of the cardiovascular mortality worldwide. Curbing the burden of CVD implies the management and control of many cardiovascular risk factors that act synergistically to increase cardiovascular mortality. Such actions may require expensive polymedications in a context of limited resources. Therefore, alternative solutions for CVD prevention in low‐ and middle‐income countries are urgently needed. In this context, the concept of a fixed‐dose combination therapy, a polypill composed of drugs known to effectively treat or prevent CVD, has been proposed as a scalable strategy to overcome nonadherence to polymedications and reduce costs. While this has recently been approved in more than 30 countries across America and Europe, there is a crucial need to analyze the potential benefits and challenges related to cardiovascular polypills implementation and vulgarization in low‐ and middle‐income countries, the epicenter of CVD.