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Biohit to offer Greeks a nicotine-free way to butt out
Biohit has announced the signing of a three-year distribution agreement for its nicotine-free smoking cessation product, Acetium lozenge, in Greece.
According to the Helsinki-based biotechnology company, the first of the effective and non-addictive smoking cessation lozenges will be delivered to its distributor in Greece, Pharmathen Hellas, in early 2018.
The agreement also includes an option for an extension term.
The lozenge binds cigarette smoke-derived carcinogenic acetaldehyde in the saliva during smoking, reducing the addictive effects of acetaldehyde. Its efficacy and lack of side-effects were proven in a smoking intervention study conducted in 2016–2017.
“Acetium lozenge offers a side effect-free and safe option to abandon this unhealthy addiction,” summarises Semi Korpela, the CEO of Biohit.
Smoking-related diseases are a major public health concern in Greece, which has one of the highest proportions of active smokers in Europe.
“More than 30 per cent of all 15-year-old people are current smokers,” tells Eleni Katsou, an executive at Pharmathen Hellas. “In addition, almost two-thirds of the people are regularly exposed to passive smoking. Acetium lozenge as an entirely novel method in smoking intervention fits very well with the mission of our company.”
Biohit also has an agreement in place for the distribution of its smoking cessation lozenges in China.