Should the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee extend the range of free nicotine replacement therapies available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people?

Abstract

To the Editor: In March 2008, nicotine patches (15 mg per 16 hours) were authority-listed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) as part of efforts to improve access to medications.1,2 Although timely and welcome, the decision to list only 15 mg patches should be revisited, as it is not consistent with current smoking cessation clinical guidelines.3-5 Neither is it consistent with evidence from a 2008 tobacco survey that we conducted in remote Aboriginal communities in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory.