MHRA statement after TPD vote supports amendment 170

[Matt Gluggles]

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The MHRA have issued a statement after the EU vote which went against their plan for medicinal e-cigs.

They say that they are still in support of medicinal regulation for e-cigs and are asking companies to "voluntarily" seek a licence for their products.

http://www.mhra.gov.uk/NewsCentre/CON322753


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[KulrMeStoopid]

We will be continuing to encourage companies voluntarily to seek a licence for their products so that they can be seen to meet appropriate standards of safety, quality and efficacy and could be sold and supplied, including on prescription, according to the NICE public health guidance on reducing the harms of smoking.

This translates into...Apply for a license so that the government will recognize that companies are now making health claims that by medicines own definition can not be made....Oh yes...we want your millions of pounds as well so that you can wave a meaningless "certificate" around when things without this authorization are perfectly legal and do the exact same thing and are held to stricter safety and quality rules all ready in place, than MA can offer

 

[VaperCaper]

I'd like to volunteer to tell the MHRA that I have not and will never make any medicinal claim for any of the products I sell now or will be selling as they are not medicines, never have been medicines, and never will be medicines.

 

[Colonelboom]

I'd like to volunteer to tell the MHRA that I have not and will never make any medicinal claim for any of the products I sell now or will be selling as they are not medicines, never have been medicines, and never will be medicines.

And so say all of us...

 

[Vapourmate]

Nicolites, Vype and Intellicig will, you can count on it!

 

[steffijade]

Riiiiiiiight.... so they want companies to voluntarily pay them millions of pounds to licence every single flavour/nic strength in their juice ranges?

The words get fecked spring to my mind for some reason.

They know that they're losing the argument and are now casting about desperately to try and find some credibility. The only companies interested in this will be the those owned by big pharma/big tobacco and this is where the MHRA will probably try to claim validity for their position.

 

[VaperCaper]

Well here is a LOT of money to be made by a company that produces an MHRA licensed e-cig for quitting purposes as then that can be prescribed by GPs etc. You'll need VERY deep pockets to get one so that remains in the domain of big companies.

I've nothing against people that want to go get a medical approval for their products - there's room in the market for both medical devices and non medical ones. Forcing everyone down the medical route was a bit stupid, and isn't going to happen

 

[ScottChensoda]

Perhaps all vendors could send an appropriate message to the MHRA.

 

[EthelKing]

At first I laughed, and then it occurred to me, as has already been pointed out, that the companies that do apply for, and are granted, licences will be laughing, big time. However, this would only make sense if the fag a likes are Prescription Only Medicines and not General Sale List medicines, as the upper nicotine threshold is 30mg/ml for us career vapers, which I would imagine is more than the majority of us currently use.

Of course, if stop smoking clinics and services can supply the fag a likes as they do NRT products, the big firms will be laughing all the way to the bank! It will be interesting to see if the pharmaceutical companies start getting in on the "medicalised" e-cigarettes to offset the financial losses as more and more people realise that electronic cigarettes work much more effectively than gum and patches.

I think it's a win-win situation. Our recreational pursuit remains largely unchanged and the companies that want to use e-cigarettes as NRT or devices with medical claims can have that side of the market. Our vendors continue to make a living and we continue to enjoy all our favourite things.

 

[Doofry]

The strange thing is, that the cigalikes are crap to be perfectly honest.
Most people who have used them, end up taking the step up to vaping, as they are ok to a point.
The cigalikes seem to be as effective as traditional NRT, and in my opinion, most people seem to quit or reduce stinkies after starting vaping.
Let the big companies go down the medicinal route, just leave us alone.