OTC Nicotine Patch: Effectiveness Alone and with Brief Physician Intervention

Objectives: Compare the effectiveness of transdermal nicotine in an OTC (no behavioral support) vs. a physician-based minimal intervention setting (MD). Methods: Three hundred healthy adult smokers completed follow-up visits at Weeks 2, 6, 26, and 52. Subjects purchased 15 mg patches ad lib for 26 weeks. Results: No significant differences in abstinence rates between groups were found. Abstinence rates for all randomized ranged from 4.0% to 9.3%. Abstinence rates for all who purchased patches ranged from 5.3% to 12.5%. Conclusions: Use of OTC nicotine patch resulted in low cessation rates, but comparable to those when patch was combined with brief physician intervention.