There is a clear harm reduction benefit from vaping devices to smokers, but the UKVIA and others do not feel that medical licensing is necessarily the most effective route to delivering this.
The success of the UK vaping sector is due in part to its reputation as the provider of an innovative consumer product, rather than a traditional medicine. Vapers often report unease at being categorised as a patient, or in some other way receiving formal medical treatment.
The actual process of full medical licencing would also require considerable investments of time and money, which would likely strain those supplying the industry. Furthermore, the length of clinical trials would leave the industry ill-placed to react to changing consumer demands.
While the UKVIA continues to engage with regulators and other bodies on these issues, we do not envisage the pursuit of medically licencing vaping products as being beneficial for smokers.
Currently, no vape products have been medicinally licensed in the UK.
