Nicorette®– World’s #1 Smoking Cessation Brand Now In India

Dec. 20, 2010 - PRLog -- New Delhi, December20, 2010: Johnson & Johnson Limited today announced the launch of Nicorette®, the number one smoking cessation brand worldwide, in India. Nicorette® Gum is a sugar-free nicotine gum that doubles your chances to stop smoking altogether by reducing nicotine cravings that make kicking the habit so difficult. Nicorette®will be available in packs of 4mg (10 gums), which are for “heavy smokers” through a doctor’s prescription and as an OTC product of 2mg (4 & 10 gums) for “light smokers”, beginning December 25, 2010.
A Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) product, Nicorette® provides therapeutic and clean nicotine, slowly and in lesser quantities as compared to a cigarette, but also just enough to satisfy the cravings. NRT substitutes some of the nicotine obtained from smoking, thereby controlling craving and withdrawal symptoms, and thus preventing relapse to smoking. More importantly, unlike tobacco smoke, it delivers nicotine which is devoid of any harmful chemicals like tar, irritants and carbon monoxide, and hence is safer than smoking a cigarette.
According to Tushar Murdeshwar, General Manager Marketing, Consumer Division, Johnson & Johnson Ltd, India, “Nicorette is an iconic global brand from Johnson &Johnson Ltd. that supports our core value of helping people stay healthy. We believe there is a need for such a product in India. Nicorette is not just a chewing gum but a complete infrastructure and support system that can help a smoker quit and lead a healthier life, benefitting him and society at large.”
In India, the awareness of NRT as an effective and safe partner in the struggle to quit smoking is very low and the usage is even lower explaining why 81% of the current smokers have at some point in the past tried to quit but have relapsed, according to the latest AC Nielson Survey.  Nicorette®, the global leader in Nicotine Replacement Therapy, as per the Euro monitor sales report 2009, has successfully helped millions of people quit globally and will now be available in India to support the smoker’s willpower and double his/her chances of remaining smoke free.  
Avers Gautam Suri, General Marketing Manager, Consumer Division, Johnson & Johnson Ltd, India, “Globally smoking is the single largest cause of preventable death. Smoking causes more deaths worldwide than AIDS, legal drugs, illegal drugs, road accidents, murder and suicide combined. With over 24% of the Indian male population currently smoking, Nicorette®, the world’s No. 1 tobacco cessation brand, can be the partner of choice to help consumers take control and break free from tobacco in India. We think it will play a critical role by helping consumers in the journey to quit smoking. We truly believe that Nicorette® will provide both, physiological and psychological support, ultimately improving the overall health of our nation, tying back to the core mission of Johnson & Johnson Ltd.”
Using willpower alone has so far been the most popular method in India to try and quit smoking. Dr. Sajeela Maini, Tobacco Cessation Specialist*, explains, “This is really the need of the hour in India. Today smokers must have a 360 degree environment of support. NRT addresses the issue of physical addiction to nicotine and allows the smoker to focus his/her will-power on combating the habits and triggers that perpetuate the addiction to cigarettes.”
SMOKING IN INDIA
Some facts…
Who and How Many
   There are over one billion smokers globally, with an estimated 110 million in India. The estimated number of tobacco users in India is 275 million.
   One-third of all adults in India (35%) use tobacco in some form or the other. While 21% use only smokeless tobacco 9% only smoke and 5% smoke as well as use smokeless tobacco.
   Prevalence of tobacco use decreases with increase in education among both males and females.
   In India, tobacco consumption is widely prevalent and culturally accepted. Tobacco use among population age group of 15-24 is 18%.
   The prevalence of smoking in Indian males is 24% and consumption of chewing tobacco is more common amongst woman with a prevalence of 18% nationwide.
   Indian smokers smoke an average of 6.2 cigarettes per day and average expenditure on cigarettes for daily smokers is Rs. 399.20 per month.
   1/4th of daily cigarette smokers smoke more than 10 cigarettes per day.

How it Works
   Each puff on a cigarette sends nicotine to the brain within 10 seconds.
   Tar and carbon monoxide from tobacco smoke harm the body by producing carboxy-haemoglobin, raising blood and plasma viscosity as well as increasing platelet aggregation.
   Tobacco dependence is perpetuated by regular doses of nicotine. Regular smoking makes it necessary to maintain certain levels of nicotine in the brain for normal functioning and pleasure derivation.
   Nicotine is one of the many components of tobacco smoke and is addictive in nature. However, other components of tobacco smoke comprising tar, irritants and carbon monoxide are the actual cause of tobacco related diseases.

Effects of Smoking
   It is estimated that every cigarette takes 11 minutes off a smoker’s life.
   Worldwide tobacco kills 1 person every 6 seconds.
   It is estimated that in the year 2015, 1, 43,963 Indians would have been diagnosed with oral and pharyngeal cancers and 91,029 would have died of the disease.

      Knowledge and awareness
   The awareness about smoking causing strokes is only 49%.
   Only 64% believe that smoking causes heart attacks.
   While 85% believe that smoking causes lung cancer.
   Over 4/5th of adults believe that second hand smoke causes serious illness among non smokers.


Quitting
   38% smokers and 35% smokeless tobacco users made an attempt to quit in the past 12 months.
   Nearly half of current smokers (47%) and smokeless tobacco users (46%) want to quit their tobacco use but a meager 2% succeed.
   The quit attempts by smokers using different cessation methods included pharmacotherapy (NRT/ prescription meds) – 4.1%, counseling/ advice – 9.2% and others (traditional meds, switching to smokeless tobacco) – 26%.
   Indian smokers are amongst the most motivated when compared to other Asian smokers to quit/reduce smoking with nearly 38% indicating that they were- extremely/very/somewhat motivated.
   Only 29% of all Indian smokers are extremely/very satisfied with the products and methods available as aids for smoking cessation.
   Medication and support from healthcare professionals can more than double the chances of quitting.
About Johnson & Johnson Limited, India
Johnson & Johnson Ltd. was founded more than 120 years ago on a revolutionary idea: Doctors and nurses should use sterile sutures, dressings and bandages to treat peoples’ wounds.  Since then, we have brought to the world, new ideas and products that have transformed human health and well-being.  Since our founding in 1886, we have grown to meet the health care needs of people worldwide. We are the world’s largest and most broadly based health care company, with more than 250 companies located in 57 countries around the world. Our Family of Companies is organized into several business segments comprised of franchises and therapeutic categories - Consumer Health Care, Medical Devices & Diagnostics and Pharmaceuticals.
In the more than 50 years of operating in India, Johnson & Johnson Limited has gained a reputation for delivering high-quality products.  Today, we employ more than 2000 people and the businesses span Consumer, Medical Devices and Diagnostics, Pharmaceuticals and Vision Care. Johnson & Johnson Limited India is an employer of choice and is a recipient of several awards, which recognize it as one of the best employers in India.
For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.jnjindia.com
*Dr. Maini is a member of the ACTIVE (Action for Cessation of Tobacco Initiative) panel which is sponsored and promoted by Johnson & Johnson Ltd.