BACKGROUND: In India, any nicotine product intended to be used as a tobacco cessation aid, is listed as a drug (Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and Rules) and Nicotine Replacement Therapies (NRTs) are included in the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) since 2022. Presently, 2mg formulation of nicotine gums/ lozenges are exempted from the provision of sale license and being sold as Over The Counter (OTC), however, this is under consideration by the Government of India (GoI). Globally, a glaring spurt has been observed among Transnational tobacco companies (TTCs), to expand the scope of newer nicotine products as NRTs.
METHODS: During December 2024, an online investigation was carried out to look for industry (direct and indirect) manufactured NRTs (gums, lozenges, patches etc.), selling over the top seven Internet-based Electronic Vendors (IEVs) delivering in India. The content analysis was done following website characterization and data extraction into types of products, pricing, flavours and formulations.
RESULTS: Of the searched NRTs, a total of four brands emerged as tobacco industry products. PMI’s hotsellers were Indian flavorised nicotine gums: Ryze (2mg and 4mg), STOP-NIC (2mg) and Nicobyt (2 mg), while ITC Limited’s Nicosure (2mg and 4mg) was being sold as both gums and lozenges. It was interesting to find that Fertin India Pvt Ltd., a subsidiary of Fertin Pharma is Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI’s) wholly owned subsidy.
CONCLUSIONS: Tobacco industry is positioning itself as a sustainable giant- PMI’s “Smoke-Free future” is one such well-thought propaganda. Such evidence is a gentle reminder that the industry is already targeting the pharmaceutical market, to advance its tobacco and nicotine addiction business in the country. Therefore, the tobacco control community and advocates should remain watchful against the industry’s playbook and must align the existing regulatory frameworks in the larger interest of public health.