GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare to Reach 85 Percent of the World's Smokers with Quit Aids

    Experts convene at World Conference on Tobacco OR Health meeting to
discuss reducing global tobacco use and accessibility to treatment options

    MUMBAI, India, March 9 /PRNewswire/ -- GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer
Healthcare today announced plans to increase the availability of their
therapeutic nicotine products to reach more than 800 million people world-wide
over the next four years.  The announcement was made at the World Conference
on Tobacco OR Health (WCTOH) meeting held this year in India, a country on
pace to see nearly one million smoking-related deaths per year by 2010(1). 
Thought leaders from around the globe gather at this triannual conference to
discuss global initiatives under way to reduce tobacco use and its
extraordinary health toll.

    "GSK plans to introduce our quit smoking aids to 85 percent of the
world's smokers by 2013.  We are committed to finding approaches, in concert
with local experts, to maximize the access and impact of our life-saving
products," said Raj Mishra, MD, PhD, vice president research and development,
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare.  "Our hope is that by launching our
therapeutic nicotine products globally we will be doing our part to help
reduce the global burden from tobacco-related disease by helping more smokers
quit."

    A World Health Organization (WHO) global tobacco report found that
tobacco use was increasing most rapidly in low-income countries due to steady
population growth coupled with tobacco industry efforts.  In fact, the report
states that without a commitment to helping smokers quit, a projected one
billion smokers will die prematurely from tobacco this century(2).  As part of
their outlined policy, the WHO encourages leaders in the fight against tobacco
to offer help to quit tobacco use through three types of treatment - telephone
counselling, cessation advice in primary healthcare services and
pharmacotherapy including the use of therapeutic nicotine(2).

    "Many smokers around the world want to quit, but do not have the
necessary information or resources to do so effectively.  Increasing the
accessibility of products designed to help smokers quit is a positive step
towards a smoke-free world," said Dr. Randeep Guleria, professor, Department
of Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences.  "With their recently
passed ban on smoking in enclosed public places, India's government is sending
a strong message to its more than 120 million adult smokers(1) that they are
serious about stemming the persistent widespread tobacco use in India. 
Encouraging the use of cessation aids such as therapeutic nicotine is the next
step towards ridding this country of a perilous health issue."

    The global implications of continued tobacco use are staggering:

    --  Tobacco use is the number one preventable cause of death and disease,
        projected to cause one billion deaths in the 21st century unless
        effective interventions are implemented(2).
    --  More than one in three adults worldwide (more than 1.1 billion people)
        smokes, 80 percent of whom live in low- and middle-income
countries(2).
    --  If current smoking patterns continue, it will cause some 10 million
        deaths each year by 2020 and 70 percent of these will occur in
        developing countries(2).
    --  In the United Sates alone, tobacco dependence costs the nation almost
        $200 billion - more than $96 billion per year in direct medical
        expenses and $97 billion in lost productivity(3).


    Safety and Efficacy of GlaxoSmithKline's Therapeutic Nicotine

    Therapeutic nicotine including the NiQuitin lozenge and patch (brand name
Nicabate in Australia) can help relieve withdrawal symptoms during smoking
cessation(3).  Research from more than 110 clinical trials involving over
40,000 participants have established the safety and efficacy profile of
therapeutic nicotine products when used as directed(4).  Therapeutic nicotine
is recommended as a first-line treatment for smoking addiction in United
States, United Kingdom and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines(2,3,5). 
To date, GSK's therapeutic nicotine has helped more than six million people
around the world quit smoking, and as a result, has greatly reduced their
exposure to the risks of cancer and other smoking-related diseases(6).

    These products are designed specifically to break the addiction cycle by
offering a gradual, controlled delivery of nicotine to the body, helping to
relieve withdrawal symptoms.

    About GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare

    GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare is one of the world's largest
over-the-counter consumer healthcare products companies.  Its more than 30
well-known brands include the leading smoking cessation products, NicoDerm(R)
CQ and Commit(R), NiQuitin  and Nicabate, as well as many medicine cabinet
staples such as Aquafresh(R), Panadol(R), Crocin(R), Horlicks(R) and
Sensodyne(R).  GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare continues to develop
innovative products to help all smokers find their best support system and
achieve their goal of being cigarette free.

    About GlaxoSmithKline

    GlaxoSmithKline is one of the world's leading research-based
pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare companies.  GlaxoSmithKline is
committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do
more, feel better and live longer.

    (1) Jha, et al; A Nationally Representative Case - Control Study of
Smoking and Death in India; NEJM, 2008
    (2) World Health Organization. WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic,
2008.  Geneva: World Health Organization; 2008 [cited 2008 Mar 21]. Available
from: http://www.who.int/tobacco/mpower/en/
    (3) Fiore MC, Jaen CR, Baker TB, et al. Treating Tobacco Use and
Dependence: 2008 Update. Clinical Practice Guideline. Rockville, MD: U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. Public Health Service. May 2008.
    (4) Silagy et al. Nicotine replacement therapy for smoking cessation
(Cochrane Review). In: The Cochrane Library, Issue 1, 2004.  Chichester, UK:
John Wiley & Sons, LTD.
    (5) NICE. 2002. Guidance on the use of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)
and bupropion for smoking cessation.  Technology Appraisal Guidance - No.39.
    (6) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Use of FDA-approved
pharmacologic treatments for tobacco dependence. Morbidity and Mortality
Weekly Report 2000; 49: 665-668.

    Contacts:  Mark Polisky
               GolinHarris
               00 +1+312+729+4417
               mpolisky@golinharris.com

               Jennifer May
               GlaxoSmithKline
               Consumer Healthcare
               00 +1+412+200+3729
               jennifer.l.may@gsk.com

For further information: Mark Polisky of GolinHarris, +1-312-729-4417,
mpolisky@golinharris.com, for GlaxoSmithKline; or Jennifer May of
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, +1-412-200-3729, jennifer.l.may@gsk.com