Cost analysis for pharmaceuticals and non-pharmaceuticals smoking cessation products

Abstract

Background: Globally, tobacco is responsible for eight million deaths each year. Tobacco kills more than 4,000 people a year in Mongolia. Aim of our study was to compare availability of tobacco products in local market and to estimate mean costs per quit attempt in Mongolia. Aim: Estimate the cost of smoking cessation products for per quit attempt on market in Mongolia. Materials and Methods: We used a cross sectional survey method. A survey of smoking cessation products sold in 41 pharmacies which locate in the city of Ulaanbaatar was conducted. Results: Almost 41 percent of pharmacies selling at least one type of smoking cessation product. It was determined that half of the buyers were aged between 36 and 45 years, and 80 percent were men. The most sold cessation product was Tabex which accounts for 72.3% of the tobacco products sold in pharmacies, while the remaining 27.7% is other type of smoking cessation products such as tobacco patch and tobacco cessation gums. Tobacco cessation products have been identified as being sold primarily by pharmacies located in residential neighborhoods, and there were 2 types of tobacco products (Tabex and Nosmoq) in the district of the Songinokhairkhan. The average cost of a smoking cessation product per person ranges from MNT 78,000 to MNT507,000, depending on the type of products and duration of treatment. Conclusion: It is necessary to increase the type and choice of pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical smoking cessation products at local market, to reduce the cost of smoking cessation products per quit attempt. In the future to provide funding support through health insurance funds.