Prescription E-Cigarette Coming To Market

With the growing–and completely illogical–hysteria against e-cigarettes sweeping through governments and ‘health advocates’ worldwide there has been a lot of speculation that one of its catalysts is the prescription drug industry. With such a vested interest in the sale of their expensive ‘prescription’ smoking cessation aids the last thing they want is a cheap, widely available substitute. The maintenance of the status quo ‘big medicine/big pharma’ revenue model is behind all sorts of regulatory crusades and the e-cigarette boom is especially problematic due to its widespread availability and public acceptance.

Now it seems that ‘big pharma’ is looking to get in on the game. Thermo-Essence Technology isn’t looking to use their lobbying and political influence to thwart the e-cig trend. Instead, they’re looking to cash in on it with the same dubious health risk claims as their ‘nanny state’ fellow travelers. The company claims that they’re looking to create the ‘safest and most sophisticated e-cigarette on the market’ and to do so they’re going to juice in the usual suspects in the medical/pharma industries and make it a ‘prescription only’ product. The goal is to deliver a ‘physician-approved’ dose of nicotine to help smokers break their habit.

Mechanical engineer Nathan Terry is the founder of Thermo-Essence Technology and he’s in a lather about the ‘cheap heat sources’ in many e-cigarettes that deliver ‘toxic chemicals and particles’ into smokers’ lungs. They’ve already sold e-cigarettes over the counter but he no doubt sees the writing on the regulatory wall–and the huge profits made by the pharmaceutical companies that help promote is legislation–and wants to get in on the game. He wants his next product to be given FDA approval and be licensed as a smoking cessation aid. In theory, he’ll have to demonstrate that it’s safe and effective. In practice, he just has to curry favor with the right lobbyists and grease the right politicians’ palms. He could have success since much of the phony outrage over e-cigarettes is economic–it threatens the profit structure of several powerful, politically connected industries. It’s a cynical, though smart, play on Terry’s part–instead of trying to disrupt the status quo he’s trying to get rich by playing their game.