¾ NRT through Transdermal Patches helps more than 81% participants successfully quit tobacco
Mumbai, May 30, 2017: On the eve of World No Tobacco Day, last year Rusan Pharma aimed at promoting the campaign‘Tumbaku Mukt BEST’ by providing tobacco cessation services to 83 BEST employees to help them quit tobacco dependence and lead a healthy life. For this, Rusan Pharma along with its medical team sensitised and counselled the BEST employees across all the 25 depots in Mumbai to assess the intensity of physical addiction to tobacco and gave them the necessary treatment to quit. The campaign has been extremely successful and has resulted in 52(81.3%) of the participants quitting tobacco.
Smoking or chewing tobacco leads to serious health concerns like addiction, gum disease, heart disease and cancer. As a socially responsible organization, Rusan Pharma conducted special camps for BEST staff to assess their level of tobacco addiction, educate them about health hazards of tobacco consumption and the importance of leading a healthy life by giving up tobacco. Rusan Pharma provided 12 weeks of patch therapy to 83 BEST employees to keep them away from the harmful effects of tobacco consumption.
The report compiled by 2baconilTM to study the safety and efficacy of their 24hr Nicotine Transdermal Patches reveals vivid Tobacco consumption patterns of the sample, 75.9% (63 of 83) participants were tobacco chewers and 16.9% (14 of 83) were tobacco smokers and 7.2% (6 of 83) would chew and smoke tobacco. The tobacco chewers consumed tobacco daily at an average of 10.8 times per day, 48.2% (40 of 83) consumed tobacco at their workplace. 40.9% (34 of 83) of the participants tried quitting previously, with at least 3 or more previous quit attempts and failed.
Out of the 83 participants, 64 (77.1%) participants completed the full 12 week 2baconil™ patch therapy, from which 52 of 64 (81.3%) participants quit tobacco consumption. Additionally, three participants who did not complete the full 12-week therapy but have still quit tobacco after completing 1-2 months of 2baconil™ patch therapy.
Delighted by these positive results, Dr. Anilkumar Singal, Chief Medical Officer, BEST, Mumbai said, “To provide uninterrupted power supply and effective transport service BEST has employed 45000 people. BEST takes utmost care to maintain health of the employees at an optimal level. For that Medical department of BEST undertakes various health promotion activities like ‘Tobacco Free BEST’ Campaign. Till last year we had around 500 BEST employees that had given up their tobacco addiction now around 1500 employees added in this list. We have another 100 to add to this tally. I am delighted by the efforts taken by Rusan Pharma for providing this effective treatment to BEST employees which will helped them quit tobacco addiction.”
Talking on the occasion Dr. Kunal Saxena, Managing Director, Rusan Pharma said, “BEST buses are the city’s second life line, BEST employees are responsible for ensuring safe, secure and timely public transport for the entire MMR and provide continues power supply to South Mumbai. Hence it is important for them to stay fit, healthy and focussed at all times. Therefore, we at Rusan decided to provide tobacco cessation treatment to them to ensure good health. We are very happy with the results that we have achieved in past one year, and we wish continue the association with BEST, in the future. ”
Pleased by the report results, Ms.Malavika Kaura Saxena, Business Head, Rusan Healthcare said, “We are pioneers in de-addiction and are passionate about the cause. We care that our patients genuinely quit, we have studied the progress of the BEST staff undergoing cessation therapy. The findings reveal encouraging numbers and show that the success rate of nicotine transdermal patch is more than 81 percent in this case. We will continue our relentless efforts to conducting regular awareness programs with various high risk groups across the country to create awareness and encourage people to quit tobacco.”
