VMPL
New Delhi [India], July 5: To mark Doctors' Day, the Times Now Doctors' Day Conclave brought together leading medical professionals to celebrate their contributions and address pressing health issues facing India. One of those critical issues is the devastating cost of tobacco use. While existing policies aim to curb tobacco use, the human and economic cost remains significant.
Current national tobacco control policies have not produced the desired results. Millions of lives are lost every year to tobacco-related diseases, placing a crushing burden on India's healthcare system. The panel discussion on “India needs a new and comprehensive approach to combat addiction-driven NCDs” at the Conclave highlighted the urgent need for a new and comprehensive approach to combat addiction-driven NCDs, particularly the root cause: nicotine addiction. Yugal Sikri, vice president and general manager of RPG Life Sciences, emphasized the seriousness of the situation and said: "Tackling non-communicable diseases is not only important but also critical, and requires a new and comprehensive approach to combat the Addiction-driven NCDs The rise in these addiction-linked NCDs is alarming, as tobacco alone is responsible for one in six NCD-related deaths.”
The discussion began with a thought-provoking question posed by Yugal Sikri: Is it nicotine itself, or the way it is administered, that poses the greatest threat?
Dr. Sequeira, a leading public health figure, built on this and urged a clear distinction between nicotine and tobacco. He highlighted the problem of misinformation around nicotine, even among health professionals. Nicotine is addictive, but nicotine from cigarettes, bidis, etc. It is not directly responsible for cancer, lung and heart diseases that kill hundreds of thousands of Indians every year. Yes, he got them all addicted and kept them addicted long term. But it is the other chemical compounds in tobacco and the smoke created by setting it on fire that directly and primarily cause illness and death, not nicotine. So we need to take a fresh look at nicotine itself and how the addiction it causes relates to the potential harm of its delivery mechanism. Atish Majumdar, senior president of Mankind Pharma, said: "We face a monumental challenge. Raising awareness is crucial to addressing the impact of addiction-driven NCDs and promoting harm reduction. Clearly defining addiction is essential. Beyond tobacco, sugar and salt also play an important role as a contributor to NCDs. caused by addiction," he said.
Therefore, health risk labels are essential for any addiction-related NCDs, whether tobacco or food products.
Dr Mohsin Wali, Padma Shri awardee and Senior Consultant in Oncology, Healthcare, Cancer and Clinical Research at Sir Gangaram Hospital, highlighted the importance of prioritizing the future well-being of young people. He said: "It is crucial to prioritize the future and well-being of our youth. Now is the opportune time to address non-communicable diseases (NCDs) driven by addiction, particularly the increasing prevalence of smoking among younger demographics." panel discussion recognized that, therefore, what is needed at this time is a more nuanced approach to characterizing the overall impact of the tobacco market, something better than tobacco consumption or prevalence. A new 'harm weighting' or 'risk ranking' approach to characterizing tobacco use, essentially creating a tobacco use index that takes into account risk differences between different products. Traditional cigarettes and bidis are on the more dangerous end of this spectrum, while medicinal nicotine products (such as NRTs) are on the safer side. By recognizing the risk index, the conversation can change. Instead of dealing with tobacco control, we would be solving the problem of tobacco control.
Dr. Rohan Savio Sequeira, Cardiometabolic Consultant Physician and Specialist in Non-Invasive Cardiology, Diabetes and Endocrinology, and the Hon. Consulting physician to the Governor of Maharashtra, emphasized the need to educate medical professionals and pharmaceutical companies on how to address the real root cause. "Patients come to us and ask us how to quit smoking. We, as medical professionals, are at the forefront of this, therefore we must fully understand what 'harm' and 'harm reduction' means.
Dr. Sequeira also highlighted the insufficiency of nicotine replacement techniques by noting that 'the data suggests that NRTs have an efficacy rate of only 7%.' The challenge lies primarily in addressing nicotine delivery systems. It is crucial to prioritize education as part of the National Health Policy. This includes educating rural doctors about the dangers of addiction and effective strategies to minimize the harm," he said. Dr. D. Dhanuraj, founder and president of the Center for Public Policy Research (CPCR), elaborated on the nicotine delivery systems: "Over the past decade, reducing the harm caused by tobacco use has become crucial, prompting us to engage stakeholders in accelerating awareness efforts. Despite increased taxes on tobacco products, use rates have continued to increase. "Alternative nicotine delivery systems present a viable option to reduce tobacco use and deserve further exploration."
The Conclave concluded by calling for a new public health strategy that includes risk-based profiling of tobacco products. This strategy would recognize the complexities of nicotine dependence and prioritize the well-being of the Indian population. A family- and population-centered approach to reducing tobacco-caused illness and death must begin with the premise that, when it comes to tobacco, the biggest problem is the distribution system. By harnessing scientific advances, encouraging open discussions among health professionals and implementing innovative policies, India can chart a new course in the fight against tobacco-related NCDs.
New Delhi [India], July 5: To mark Doctors' Day, the Times Now Doctors' Day Conclave brought together leading medical professionals to celebrate their contributions and address pressing health issues facing India. One of those critical issues is the devastating cost of tobacco use. While existing policies aim to curb tobacco use, the human and economic cost remains significant.
Current national tobacco control policies have not produced the desired results. Millions of lives are lost every year to tobacco-related diseases, placing a crushing burden on India's healthcare system. The panel discussion on “India needs a new and comprehensive approach to combat addiction-driven NCDs” at the Conclave highlighted the urgent need for a new and comprehensive approach to combat addiction-driven NCDs, particularly the root cause: nicotine addiction. Yugal Sikri, vice president and general manager of RPG Life Sciences, emphasized the seriousness of the situation and said: "Tackling non-communicable diseases is not only important but also critical, and requires a new and comprehensive approach to combat the Addiction-driven NCDs The rise in these addiction-linked NCDs is alarming, as tobacco alone is responsible for one in six NCD-related deaths.”
The discussion began with a thought-provoking question posed by Yugal Sikri: Is it nicotine itself, or the way it is administered, that poses the greatest threat?
Dr. Sequeira, a leading public health figure, built on this and urged a clear distinction between nicotine and tobacco. He highlighted the problem of misinformation around nicotine, even among health professionals. Nicotine is addictive, but nicotine from cigarettes, bidis, etc. It is not directly responsible for cancer, lung and heart diseases that kill hundreds of thousands of Indians every year. Yes, he got them all addicted and kept them addicted long term. But it is the other chemical compounds in tobacco and the smoke created by setting it on fire that directly and primarily cause illness and death, not nicotine. So we need to take a fresh look at nicotine itself and how the addiction it causes relates to the potential harm of its delivery mechanism. Atish Majumdar, senior president of Mankind Pharma, said: "We face a monumental challenge. Raising awareness is crucial to addressing the impact of addiction-driven NCDs and promoting harm reduction. Clearly defining addiction is essential. Beyond tobacco, sugar and salt also play an important role as a contributor to NCDs. caused by addiction," he said.
Therefore, health risk labels are essential for any addiction-related NCDs, whether tobacco or food products.
Dr Mohsin Wali, Padma Shri awardee and Senior Consultant in Oncology, Healthcare, Cancer and Clinical Research at Sir Gangaram Hospital, highlighted the importance of prioritizing the future well-being of young people. He said: "It is crucial to prioritize the future and well-being of our youth. Now is the opportune time to address non-communicable diseases (NCDs) driven by addiction, particularly the increasing prevalence of smoking among younger demographics." panel discussion recognized that, therefore, what is needed at this time is a more nuanced approach to characterizing the overall impact of the tobacco market, something better than tobacco consumption or prevalence. A new 'harm weighting' or 'risk ranking' approach to characterizing tobacco use, essentially creating a tobacco use index that takes into account risk differences between different products. Traditional cigarettes and bidis are on the more dangerous end of this spectrum, while medicinal nicotine products (such as NRTs) are on the safer side. By recognizing the risk index, the conversation can change. Instead of dealing with tobacco control, we would be solving the problem of tobacco control.
Dr. Rohan Savio Sequeira, Cardiometabolic Consultant Physician and Specialist in Non-Invasive Cardiology, Diabetes and Endocrinology, and the Hon. Consulting physician to the Governor of Maharashtra, emphasized the need to educate medical professionals and pharmaceutical companies on how to address the real root cause. "Patients come to us and ask us how to quit smoking. We, as medical professionals, are at the forefront of this, therefore we must fully understand what 'harm' and 'harm reduction' means.
Dr. Sequeira also highlighted the insufficiency of nicotine replacement techniques by noting that 'the data suggests that NRTs have an efficacy rate of only 7%.' The challenge lies primarily in addressing nicotine delivery systems. It is crucial to prioritize education as part of the National Health Policy. This includes educating rural doctors about the dangers of addiction and effective strategies to minimize the harm," he said. Dr. D. Dhanuraj, founder and president of the Center for Public Policy Research (CPCR), elaborated on the nicotine delivery systems: "Over the past decade, reducing the harm caused by tobacco use has become crucial, prompting us to engage stakeholders in accelerating awareness efforts. Despite increased taxes on tobacco products, use rates have continued to increase. "Alternative nicotine delivery systems present a viable option to reduce tobacco use and deserve further exploration."
The Conclave concluded by calling for a new public health strategy that includes risk-based profiling of tobacco products. This strategy would recognize the complexities of nicotine dependence and prioritize the well-being of the Indian population. A family- and population-centered approach to reducing tobacco-caused illness and death must begin with the premise that, when it comes to tobacco, the biggest problem is the distribution system. By harnessing scientific advances, encouraging open discussions among health professionals and implementing innovative policies, India can chart a new course in the fight against tobacco-related NCDs.
