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With changes to federal legislation around accessing nicotine vaping products (NVP) effective from today, Australian manufacturer Liber Pharmaceuticals is well positioned to take a large slice of a fast-growing market.
Founded by young entrepreneur Ryan Boulton, Liber Pharmaceuticals has begun supplying retail pharmacy networks across Australia with smoking cessation devices, specifically designed for the new medical and legal framework.
Gold Coast-based Liber, which has no association with any tobacco company, is supplying its Nicovape Q and Nicovape SD devices to more than 5,500 pharmacies nationally and is committed to seeking registration on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) for the NVPs.
The company’s launch into Australian pharmacies follows today’s changes to federal legislation which make it illegal to acquire NVPs or import vaping products without a prescription.
Australia is the first country in the world to make these changes which aim to ensure an access pathway to safe NVPs for both the 2.9 million Australian smokers looking to quit, and for vapers addicted to nicotine that do not wish to return to smoking tobacco.
Liber Pharmaceuticals CEO Richard Lee said the company had focused solely on developing the world’s first medically prescribed and pharmacy-ready e-cigarettes to help Australia’s 2.9 million smokers give up smoking.
The system consists of a rechargeable device and disposable cartridges containing the e-liquid which is vaporised and inhaled.
“Nicovape Q is a proprietary, closed-system, medical-grade NVP, which was specifically developed as a tool for doctors to aid patients with a history of failed quit attempts using other cessation tools, offering a more effective alternative pathway to smoking cessation,” Lee said.
“Nicovape Q has been specifically manufactured to facilitate the Australian medical framework standards to be consistent, reliable, effective, and safe.”
When used as directed, Liber says the two NVPs minimise exposure to harmful chemicals when compared to cigarettes.
So far, Liber claims more than 2,000 general practitioners have requested access to a guide created to provide clarity around the new vaping laws and their role in assisting patients who wish to quit smoking.
The guide contains research and evidence around the efficacy of NVPs for smoking cessation, as well as instructions for patient use of e-cigarettes.
“Having worked through the very complex environment that currently exists around this issue, we created a guide for GPs to understand the considerations that will underpin their clinical decision process regarding NVPs as a smoking cessation tool,” says Liber.
Mario Tascone, the chief operating officer of Chemist Warehouse - one of the pharmacy chains that will be giving patients access to Liber’s NVPs - said the company was pleased to be playing a role in assisting people with smoking cessation.
“We are partnering with Liber as leaders in the field, and in compliance with the regulatory regime that has been introduced on 1 October,” he said.
“Our pharmacies across Australia will comply with the requirements of state and territory jurisdictions in meeting this demand from smokers who obtain a doctor's prescription to have access to these products, to assist them in their efforts to improve their health through quitting smoking."
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