Maximise your share of the £100m smoking cessation market by helping patients navigate the range of NRT formats and strengths, says Zoe Smeaton
Smoking cessation is big news. Cigarette smoking is estimated to cause more than 80,000 deaths annually in England and smoking-related diseases cost the NHS a fortune. Fortunately, pharmacy is here to help. As Christina Knott, Numark’s service development manager, says: “Pharmacists can make a real difference to the success of a quit attempt and it has been extensively demonstrated that with pharmacists’ support the chances of kicking the habit for good increase.”
Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is the key tool for patients, whether given on prescription or purchased over the counter. A Nicorette spokesperson says the prescription side of the market is performing very strongly, while OTC growth has been much slower. This could be due to the economic downturn, “as people are still quitting but realising they can often get their products for free if they get them on prescription”, she suggests. Rowlands category manager Georgina Farr adds: “When smoking cessation came into fruition, OTC sales were around 85 per cent and prescriptions 15 per cent; there has now been a complete turnaround and OTC sales are around 10 to 15 per cent.”
"Often smokers who want to quit are confused and unsure about what formats and options are open to them" |
If cost is a barrier to some customers it is worth finding out whether your PCT runs any schemes through which pharmacies can give patients NRT without them having to pay for it. But even if this isn’t possible there are things you can do to help boost your OTC sales.
Experts agree pharmacists are an important source of help for smokers, and the key to making the most of the category is to offer advice and support alongside the NRT products. The Nicorette spokesperson explains: “Often smokers who want to quit are confused and unsure about what formats and options are open to them. Their pharmacist is the person they feel they can talk to about this, and get advice from to give themselves the best possible chances.” And as Ms Knott says: “It’s a win all round: patients are more likely to succeed with help and support and pharmacists can increase their sales as support programmes keep people on NRT for longer.”
The market boasts a range of products, strengths and formats, so it’s important to understand what is available and train your staff to help patients decide what will be best for them. Sanjay Pathak, head of professional services at Alliance Healthcare, says: “It is important to utilise a strategy to navigate the patient through the plethora of smoking cessation product formulation options. The aim should be to determine which product and formulation will give the patient the best chance of success and suit their lifestyle.”
Products at eye level
As well as offering this advice and training your staff to do so, laying out the category correctly is a must. Emma Charlesworth, Numark’s category development manager, says stop smoking is one of the biggest GSL categories, occupying around 13 per cent share of space; on a typical 3m wall bay this represents around three shelves, which should be positioned towards the top of the fixture. “This ensures that the products are at eye level and will reduce the incidence of pilferage due to the prominent positioning,” she explains.
Sharon Linger, Alphega Pharmacy’s retail consultant, says that, with a number of strong brands in the market and many patients being in the middle of a quit programme, people are likely to be loyal to a particular brand and format. This means you should keep the category well stocked because if patients can’t find the products they are looking for, they will easily be able to get it elsewhere.
Think about promotion, too. You can seek help, for example, from pharmaceutical companies, or the NPA has talk notes with PowerPoint presentations for pharmacists wanting to promote their services to schools or businesses. Providing materials such as leaflets to those not even thinking about quitting can still be a help. And think where else you can put signposts, such as on the dental section near tooth whitening or breath fresheners.
One of the most difficult things will be helping your patient not to feel daunted by the idea of quitting. Mr Pathak advises: “Explain that giving up smoking can be difficult and to maximise the chances of success they should not do it impulsively but as a considered action. Get used to the idea of being a non-smoker by setting a quit date.”
MedicX Pharmacy director Steve Jeffers advises looking out for national campaigns, too, and promoting services heavily when these are on. “The campaign with little children last year plucked a few heartstrings and recruitment rates can go up when there are campaigns,” he explains.
Once you have engaged with customers, you will need to offer continued support and advice on which products to use and when. But keep in mind that smoking cessation can be linked to other pharmacy offerings to boost patient loyalty even more.
Pharmacist Angela Chalmers, from Boots’ Holloway Road branch, says: “I always advise customers that, during the process of giving up, the body begins to repair itself. I therefore tell customers to regularly use a mouthwash to help prevent ulcers.” You can also link to other services such as blood pressure monitoring or cholesterol and diabetes screening or, like Stephen Foster of Pierremont Pharmacy in Kent, offer acupuncture and hypnotherapy in case patients prefer alternative remedies.
Key Facts:
- 21% of adults aged 16 and over in England reported smoking in 2007
- 66% of smokers say they would like to give up
- 86% of people who want to give up name at least one health reason for doing so
- 440,900 hospital admissions among over 35s in England attributed to smoking in 2007-08
- 83,900 deaths estimated to be caused by smoking in England in 2008
- Source: Office for National Statistics, March 2009; NHS Information Centre, 2009
Market Insight: smoking cessation
Top sales tips for helping smokers quit
Case study: Boots, Holloway Road
Case Study: Rowlands pharmacy
Brand Watch: Nicorette
Product watch: Nicorette InvisPatch 25mg
