

Cos seek nod to sell high-dose nicotine pouches, spark concern
In a development that is alarming policy makers and public health experts, India's oral nicotine pouch manufacturers are seeking permission to sell products of 6mg strength that are 50% more potent than the current maximum, offering them as therapeutic medical products under the nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) regime, according to two officials and documents reviewed by Mint.With the government running awareness campaigns against tobacco use in the country, this has sparked concerns of nicotine initiation and long-term addiction.The latest development pertains to Vcherish Pvt. Ltd, Harsh Nutricare Pvt.
Ltd, Lyrus Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd, Fertin India Pvt.
Ltd and Leaf Fibers Pvt. Ltd approaching the country’s apex drug regulator to manufacture and market oral nicotine pouches of dosage as high as 6mg.In India, NRT products such as nicotine gums containing up to 2mg do not require a prescription.
Above this level, it requires a doctor's supervision. Currently, 6mg nicotine pouches are not manufactured in India.The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), on its part, is evaluating these proposals and has sought technical guidance from the health and family welfare’s ministry Tobacco Control Division on the companies' applications seeking to classify high-dosage nicotine pouches as smoking cessation aids under the nicotine replacement therapy framework.Nicotine significantly escalates cardiovascular risks, with tobacco claiming 1.35 million lives every year in India.
India has 268 million tobacco users, with the economic burden of treating tobacco-related illnesses accounting for ₹1.77 trillion annually.“Nicotine damages the cardiovascular system, regardless of how it is delivered into the body. It causes
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