Treatment financed by Health
For approximately four months, Health had not subsidized any treatment to address this addiction.
As of February 1, Health has begun to finance a plant-based medicine that makes it easier to quit smoking within 25 days. This treatment, called Todacitan, is the only one currently supported by public funds and acts as a nicotine substitute.
Administration mode
The treatment involves taking six tablets daily for the first three days, allowing smoking during this period. From the fourth to the twelfth day, one pill is taken every 2.5 hours without the possibility of smoking, while from the thirteenth day onwards the dose is progressively reduced.
This financing ends a period of approximately four months in which Health had not supported any smoking cessation medication, since Zyntabac (bupropion) was no longer prescribed in October 2022 due to distribution problems.
More than a year earlier, Champix (varenicyline) had also been stopped from subsidizing for containing nitrosamine above the levels allowed by the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products.
Requirements to access treatment
To receive the medication prescription, patients must participate in an individual or group support program to quit smoking implemented in the autonomous communities or mutual societies.
In addition, they must meet certain requirements, such as demonstrating a clear motivation to quit smoking, which can be verified with an attempt in the last year, and having a high level of dependence, consuming 10 cigarettes or more a day.
According to the technical sheet, one annual attempt per patient to quit smoking with pharmacological support will be financed. Each prescription will be for a container equivalent to 25 days of treatment and will be dispensed through the electronic prescription system.
