Nicorette
Encyclopedia
Nicorette is the brand name of a pharmaceutical preparation that contains nicotine
Nicotine
Nicotine is an alkaloid found in the nightshade family of plants that constitutes approximately 0.6–3.0% of the dry weight of tobacco, with biosynthesis taking place in the roots and accumulation occurring in the leaves...

 for the treatment of tobacco dependence. Nicorette was the first medicinal preparation to facilitate smoking cessation.

Nicorette chewing gum was developed by Ove Fernö at the pharmaceutical company Leo in Helsingborg
Helsingborg
Helsingborg is a city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 97,122 inhabitants in 2010. Helsingborg is the centre of an area in the Øresund region of about 320,000 inhabitants in north-west Scania, and is Sweden's closest point to Denmark, with the Danish city...

, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

, following an idea from two physicians, Stefan Lichtneckert and Claes Lundgren, at the Institute of Physiology, University of Lund, Sweden. They suggested the development of a pure nicotine product to be used when periods of forced abstinence from smoking cause nicotine withdrawal symptoms; for example, the crew in submarines experience difficulties concentrating and irritation when they are unable to smoke.

The nicotine from Nicorette replaces some of the nicotine the smoker previously got from tobacco smoke; this relieves some of the craving and withdrawal symptoms, and allows the ex-smoker to concentrate on overcoming the habitual action of smoking. Nicotine is the addictive component in cigarette smoke and the reason for smoking, but the harm caused by smoking is due to other components in the smoke such as tar, carbon monoxide and other gases.

The full dose of Nicorette should be used for about eight weeks, and then the dose can gradually be reduced before treatment stops.

The development of Nicorette started at the end of the 1960s. Initially the Swedish Medicinal Product Agency did not approve Nicorette as a medicine because at that time smoking was considered a lifestyle choice; tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...

 dependence was not understood to be a disease. In addition, the agency was reluctant to make pure nicotine available, and a chewing gum was a new administration form of a medicinal product. Nicorette Gum was first approved in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 in 1978, followed by the UK and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 before it got its domestic approval in Sweden as a prescription medicine. Nicorette was switched to an over-the-counter
Over-the-counter drug
Over-the-counter drugs are medicines that may be sold directly to a consumer without a prescription from a healthcare professional, as compared to prescription drugs, which may be sold only to consumers possessing a valid prescription...

 (OTC) medicine in many countries during the 1990s, and is now available on general sale in several countries.

Nicorette Gum is available in two strengths, either nicotine 2 mg or 4 mg. The nicotine is bound to an ion-exchange resin (polacrilex) in the gum, in order to control the rate of release of nicotine during chewing. The resulting nicotine blood concentration when using Nicorette Gum is lower than during smoking.

Nicorette formed a new category of medicinal products, commonly referred to as Nicotine replacement therapy
Nicotine replacement therapy
Nicotine replacement therapy is the remedial administration of nicotine to the body by means other than tobacco, usually as part of smoking cessation. Common forms of nicotine replacement therapy are nicotine patches and nicotine gum...

 (NRT). Nicorette is now a global smoking cessation brand that is available in more than 80 countries. Nicorette Gum has been followed by other, different administration forms for smoking cessation with the same brand name: Nicorette Patch, Nicorette Inhaler, Nicorette Microtab, Nicorette Nasal Spray, and Nicorette Lozenge. Nicorette is still manufactured by the same company in Helsingborg, Sweden, but the company name is now McNeil AB and it is part of the Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson is an American multinational pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company is listed among the Fortune 500....

 Group of Consumer Companies.
GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline plc is a global pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare company headquartered in London, United Kingdom...

 is the licence holder of Nicorette Gum in the USA.

Gum flavors

  • Cinnamon Surge
  • Extreme Chill
  • Fruit Chill
  • Fresh Mint
  • Mint
  • Original
  • White Ice

Nicorette produces by Zainx purifiers(Mexico)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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