Impacts of Tobacco Consumption on Mortality in Australia

Tobacco Strategy
Literature

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
SECTION 1: CRITICAL LITERATURE REVIEW.......................................................................3
The current use of Pharmaceutical Benefits Schemes (PBS) provided smoking cessation
treatment services in Australia...............................................................................................3
The effects of the increase use on smoking prevalence and smoking related health disparities
in Australia.............................................................................................................................5
The effects on improvements on smoking prevalence and smoking related health disparities in
Australia.................................................................................................................................7
SECTION 2: POLICY BRIEF.........................................................................................................8
Title.........................................................................................................................................8
Executive Summary................................................................................................................9
Introduction............................................................................................................................9
Background and Importance of the problem..........................................................................9
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Tobacco is a serious concern when it comes to well being and safety of humans as excess
consumption of it causes sever chronic diseases and health issues which are long term and can be
implicating harmful impacts on the life of an individual. Governments and administrative bodies
in different regions around the world is working for making potential schemes which are
important enough to take proper care and raise awareness in population about the effective
processes and strategies to overcome the addiction of tobacco. The present report covers
appropriate literature in relation to the effective cessation and treatments developed by
government in Australia. In the next section a proposal is developed in regards to a policy
suggested after effective review of the literatures and the schemes of administration.
SECTION 1: CRITICAL LITERATURE REVIEW
The current use of Pharmaceutical Benefits Schemes (PBS) provided smoking cessation
treatment services in Australia.
According to the views of...., The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) was introduced
as limited scheme in 1948 by Australian government. As per the scheme free medicines were
provided to pensioners and around 139 medicines which are life saving and disease preventing
were given free to members in the community which means the whole population of Australia.
With the help of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) in present day the government is
effectively providing timely, reliable and affordable access to all the necessary and basic
medicines to Australian population. This lead to making Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
an essential part to the broader National Medicines Policy of Australian Government.
Moving to Smoking cessation there are three major interventions available on the
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) that are nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), varenicline
and bupropion. In the year July 2017, A committee known as Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory
Committee (PBAC) presented a major submission in order to list the nicotine replacement
therapy in gum and lozenges form to Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). Moving along
with time the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) found out the improved
efficiency of gum and lozenges these are used in combination with nicotine patches.
Moving along in the year March 2018, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee
(PBAC) made suggestions for listing the nicotine gums and lozenges on the Pharmaceutical

Benefits Scheme (PBS) as more therapies for treating nicotine dependence and healing the
addiction of people towards it. Then in the year 2019 medicines for smoking cessations was
approved by the minister for help as per the post market review. The post market review will also
reassess the Pharmaceutical benefit schemes restrictions in order to collect the largest available
benefits and evidences for building best clinical practices and cost efficiency as well as
effectiveness. This review will be carried out under the Australian governments post market
monitoring program. The major objective behind this review and monitoring activity is to ensure
the continued cost effective, if and best quality use of medicines that are listed under
Pharmaceutical Benefits Schemes (PBS).
Basically, Pharmaceutical benefits scheme is available to all Australians who are
residents and have an appropriate current Medicare card. There are other members to who are
eligible and holds the ability to enjoy the scheme and these are those overseas visitors from
countries that are part of Australia’s Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA). Presently the
countries with which Australia has Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) are United
Kingdom, New Zealand, Malta, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Ireland, Finland, Norway,
Slovenia and Belgium.
Presently the smoking cessation treatment therapy of Pharmaceutical benefit scheme in
Australia is covering three effective greeting therapies that are Bupropion which was listed on
PBS in the year 2000. The next is nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) which was listed on 1st
May 2000 for respiration, 1st December 2008 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders people
and the last is for general population which was introduced in the years 2011 in February. The
Varenicline was launched or listed on PBS in 2008.
In Australia, they were around 373934 people who was supplied with smoking cessation
therapies and subsidies of Pharmaceutical benefit schemes. Around 90,000 people who was
applied with these smoking cessation therapies taking their initial steps in quitting cigarettes and
smoking by using Pharmaceutical benefit schemes subsidies and smoking cessation therapies.
Amongst all the people around 340000 were given Varenicline the other 130000 patients were
supplied with nicotine replacement therapy and lastly around 60,000 people were supplied
Bupropion with descriptions and proper medication treatments.