Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) can look similar to normal cigarettes and deliver nicotine via inhalation. Following a public consultation in 2013, the MHRA has decided to license all nicotinecontaining products (NCPs), including e-cigarettes, as medicines to help people cut down or stop smoking. Scientific and market research into their safety and quality, including how they are used, formed the basis of this decision.

The MHRA has decided to license all
NCPs, including e-cigarettes, as
medicines

The European Commission has said it expects the new legislation to come into effect in the UK from 2016. Until then, various organisations, such as the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and Public Health England, have stated their opinion that e-cigarettes should not be used as a smoking cessation or smoking reduction aid.