Is Nicovape® Q Safe?
There isn’t enough data to declare any NVP as safe.
However, for smokers seeking to quit, Nicovape® Q is safer than continuing to smoke.
In Australia, NVPs are prescribed as unapproved therapeutic goods, meaning the TGA has not assessed them for their quality, safety, or efficacy.
While NVPs are unapproved medicines, the TGA has created a framework to allow them to be supplied under prescription.
Nicovape® Q uses pharmaceutical-grade ingredients and processes, and the e-liquids have been subject to comprehensive toxicological risk and hazard assessments for inhalation.
Are NVPs Addictive?
Yes. NVPs, including Nicovape® Q, use e-liquids that contain nicotine – an addictive substance.
The purpose of Nicovape® Q is to help patients stop smoking or to manage nicotine dependence in patients transitioning away from recreational vaping products.
Once a patient has stabilized off smoking or has effectively transitioned from recreational vapes, their doctor will work with them to reduce and eliminate nicotine using Nicovape® Q, traditional NRT protocols, or both.
How Much Will It Cost?
Nicovape® Q cartridges are available in:
- 7-packs with an RRP of $79.95; and
- 28-pack maxi-boxes with an RRP of $299.95.
If your patient buys a 7-pack box, each Nicovape® Q cartridge will cost them $11.42.
Most patients will consume significantly less than one cartridge per day.
For reference, if we assume that 20 cigarettes cost $40, a pack-a-day smoker switching to using one Nicovape® Q cartridge per day would save up to $10,000 annually.
Can I Refill the Cartridges?
No, patients must never reuse Nicovape® Q cartridges.
Refilling any cartridge system risks exposing users to toxicants due to degradation of the coil through repeat usage.
Nicovape® Q is a closed-system NVP, and Nicovape® Q cartridges have been designed and studied for one use only.
Should I Use More Than One Nicovape® Q Cartridge Per Day?
Advise the patient that their doctor will discuss with them how long each Nicovape® Q cartridge should last.
Unless they are a very heavy smoker, it is unlikely that their doctor will prescribe more than one Nicovape® Q cartridge per day.
However, if a single Nicovape® Q cartridge per day is not sufficient to prevent your patient from relapsing to smoking, encourage them to speak to their doctor urgently to consider reassessing their prescribed amount.
Liber has formulated its liquids with molecularly characterized ingredients and uses only pharmacopoeia (where available) or high-purity food-quality ingredients. All ingredients are toxicologically screened, and the formulations are tested for harmful emissions under realistic conditions of use.
How Do I Get a Prescription for NVPs?
Ask your patient if they know whether their doctor is experienced in dealing with smoking cessation or prescribing vapes – the patient’s own doctor is always the best place to start.
If that fails to address the patient’s query, can you recommend a local prescriber of NVPs to them?
If not, our team can help connect you to your local prescribers of NVPs – refer to the reverse side of this sheet for contact details.
What Are the Potential Side Effects of Using NVPs?
Most potential side effects of using NVPs are related to nicotine consumption.
If your patient consumes too much nicotine (or too quickly), they may experience a headache, nausea, trembling, or dizziness.
Your patient may also experience a ‘dry mouth’ from using one Nicovape® Q cartridge per day (and NVPs generally).
They may also experience ‘initiation cough’ (short duration coughing) when they first start using Nicovape® Q, although this usually resolves with continued use.
For further information regarding possible side effects, please consult the Nicovape® Q CMI leaflet, which can be accessed at nicovapeq.com/cmi.
What Ingredients Are in Pharmacy NVPs?
Under the TGA’s new regulatory framework, NVP liquids may contain the following four ingredients:
Propylene Glycol (PG): A clear, tasteless liquid that mixes well with flavoring ingredients and produces an aerosol when heated. PG is commonly used in food products, drugs, and food flavorings.
Glycerol (VG): Typically derived from plants and often referred to as ‘vegetable glycerol.’ VG is used in pharmaceutical products like cough syrups, creams, and toothpaste. It imparts a sweet flavor and produces a denser aerosol.
Flavors: Added to mask the bitter taste of nicotine and make NVPs more palatable. Nicovape® Q is available in three flavors: classic tobacco, coolmint, and freshmint.
Nicotine Salts: Found naturally in tobacco leaves, nicotine salts enable lower-powered NVPs to mimic the smoking experience more closely by allowing faster nicotine absorption and less throat irritation compared to freebase nicotine.
Is It Okay to Continue Smoking Fewer Cigarettes While Using NVPs?
No. While smoking fewer cigarettes can reduce the risk of some diseases, smoking even one cigarette daily still poses significant cardiovascular health risks.
The sooner your patient can stop smoking altogether, the sooner their body can start repairing itself.
Nicovape® Q is designed to deliver sufficient nicotine to ensure that your patient will not need to smoke to satisfy their nicotine cravings.
Why Are Pharmacies Stocking NVPs Now?
The global scientific consensus supports the role of vaping products in smoking cessation, particularly for patients who have tried and failed to stop smoking through other methods.
The regulatory framework in Australia now permits pharmacies to dispense e-cigarettes specifically for smoking cessation
Importantly, this framework is now focused on stopping the sale of illicit vapes across Australia
Pharmacies stock e-cigarettes to ensure that nicotine-dependent patients who may benefit therapeutically from using vaping products are able to do so immediately upon presenting a script.
Can I Use NVPs If I’ve Never Tried Quitting Before?
This is a question for your patient to ask their doctor.
For any doctor, prescribing NVPs is a matter of clinical judgment and depends on the patient’s smoking history and eligibility according to the RACGP’s Smoking Cessation Guidelines.
Suggest to the patient that they explain to their doctor their smoking and/or vaping history, and they may decide that using a vaping product is appropriate for your patient.
Is Vaping As Bad As, or Worse Than, Smoking?
There is no safe level of inhaling cigarette smoke and regular smoking just one cigarette daily confers a severe health risk. Vaping allows patients to inhale nicotine without the smoke, tar and chemicals of cigarette smoking.
While nicotine is addictive, it is not the cause of smoking-related diseases.
More than 250 chemicals in tobacco smoke are known to cause harm and have been linked to 16 types of cancer, chronic respiratory conditions, heart disease and strokes, an increased risk of developing diabetes and dental problems, and a negative impact on mental health.
As with most prescription products, there may be some risk from NVPs. However, vaping a prescribed NVP, whose contents are well understood, is a much better option than smoking.
Have There Been Health Complications or Deaths from Vaping? (EVALI)
The term EVALI (e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury) is usually used to refer to an outbreak that caused serious lung injuries in over 2,800 people in the USA in 2019.
In that case, 94% of those EVALI cases involved the presence of vitamin E acetate, which is not found in e-cigarettes but is commonly used in black-market cannabis products.
Vitamin E acetate is a prohibited ingredient under TGO 110, and Nicovape® Q e-liquids are tested to ensure that they do not contain any prohibited ingredients.