PEAPACK, N.J., June 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Pharmacia Corporation announced today that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare approved Nicorette(R) gum as an over-the-counter (OTC) smoking cessation product on June 20, 2001. Nicorette gum is the fi

As previously announced, Takeda Chemical Industries, Ltd. will distribute Nicorette gum OTC in Japan. Pharmacia K.K., a wholly owned subsidiary of Pharmacia Corporation, will manufacture Nicorette gum and market the OTC brand in Japan. "We are extremely proud that Nicorette will be the first OTC smoking cessation product on the Japanese market," said Stephen P. MacMillan, Sector Vice President, Global Specialty Operations, Pharmacia Corporation. "Nicorette, the world's number-one smoking cessation brand which is available in over 60 countries worldwide, will now offer a nonprescription option to Japanese smokers who want to quit." Nicorette gum has been available in Japan as a prescription product since 1994. By chewing the gum slowly when the urge to smoke occurs, Nicorette gum relieves the cravings and withdrawal symptoms by releasing nicotine into the bloodstream through the lining of the mouth. With Nicorette gum, the amount of nicotine can be adjusted depending on the urge to smoke. According to the 1999 Japanese Health Ministry report, 52.7 percent of men and 11.6 percent of women were smokers and the smoking rates were higher among men (62.5 percent) and women (21.3 percent) in the 20s. Also the latest Health Ministry data show that lung and bronchial cancer replaced stomach cancer as the number one cause of cancer deaths in Japan in 1999. Since the introduction of Nicorette gum in Sweden in 1978, Pharmacia has been marketing a variety of NRT products, including gum, patch, inhaler, nasal spray and sublingual tablet in more than 60 countries. In 2000, Nicorette generated global retail sales of over US$600 million. Pharmacia is a top-tier global pharmaceutical company with a leading agricultural subsidiary. Pharmacia's innovative medicines and other products save lives and enhance health and wellness. Pharmacia's 59,000 people work together with many diverse stakeholders to bring these benefits to people around the world, and to create new health solutions for the future.

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