Cornwall prescribes more of this quit-smoking pill than anywhere

Trying to give up cigarettes in Cornwall? There’s a fair chance someone has mentioned cytisinicline. And per head of population, nowhere in England prescribes more of it.

New analysis of NHS prescribing data puts Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly top of the national table, with 79.22 prescription items per 100,000 people between January 2024 and June 2026. That works out at 478 items in total, issued through the local integrated care board (ICB).

The figures come from nicotine pouch company Haypp, which analysed data from OpenPrescribing to track how the treatment has been used since it launched for prescription use in 2024.

What is cytisinicline?

Cytisinicline is a medicine that stimulates nicotine receptors in the brain. It reduces cravings and withdrawal, and makes smoking less rewarding.

How Cornwall compares

Cornwall’s rate sits well clear of the pack. Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire came second with 65.46 items per 100,000 people, and Hampshire and the Isle of Wight was a distant third at 33.65.

The top five by prescribing rate (January 2024 to June 2026):

1. Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly: 79.22 per 100,000 (478 items)
2. Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire: 65.46 per 100,000 (659 items)
3. Hampshire and the Isle of Wight: 33.65 per 100,000 (722 items)
4. Derby and Derbyshire: 31.66 per 100,000 (361 items)
5. West Yorkshire: 19.42 per 100,000 (518 items)

Devon was eighth, at 11.56 per 100,000. In raw numbers, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight issued the most, with 722 prescriptions across the period.

What it costs

Cornwall also tops the table for NHS spending on cytisinicline per head. It spent £8,349.35 per 100,000 people, or £50,379.34 in total over the two and a half years.

Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire followed at £6,949.97 per 100,000, then Hampshire and the Isle of Wight at £3,646.47. In total spending, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight led the way with £78,235.48.

Prescriptions more than doubled in a year

Across England, 2,603 prescription items were recorded in 2025, roughly seven a day. That’s up from 1,255 in 2024, a rise of 107.4%.

The number of tablets went from 123,970 to 255,925. NHS spending followed, rising from £134,926.59 in 2024 to £278,635.74 in 2025.

Surrey and Sussex saw the steepest climb in prescription items, from 15 to 131 (up 773.3%). Cheshire and Merseyside was next, from 14 to 79. Closer to home, Devon went from 23 items in 2024 to 97 in 2025, a 321.7% increase.

But 2026 might look different

In the first six months of this year, 996 prescriptions were recorded across England. If that pace holds for the rest of the year, the total would land at around 1,992. That would be a 23.5% drop on 2025.

Pills, patches and vapes

The release also points to the latest update of the Cochrane Review, published in August, which found nicotine vapes to be among the most effective tools for quitting smoking. It put them alongside medicines such as varenicline and cytisine, and ahead of nicotine replacement therapy like patches or gum.

Haypp notes that vapers tend to fund their own supplies, so they aren’t a cost to the NHS. Use of vapes through Stop Smoking Services has grown a lot in recent years, though the release says their share of supported quit attempts has recently levelled off.

Haypp publishes its own guide on how to quit smoking.

Cost of living and the price of a packet

Dr Marina Murphy, Head of External Affairs, UK and Scientific Affairs at Haypp Group, said: “With another increase in Tobacco Products Duty coming into effect on October 1st and many people facing ongoing cost-of-living pressure, smokers may increasingly be considering quitting for financial reasons. The good news is that there is a growing range of options available for smokers seeking to quit, and some are heavily subsidised through NHS stop smoking services.”

She said nicotine dependence means deciding to stop isn’t always enough, and that the doubling in cytisinicline use highlights “the increasingly important role that different cessation tools are playing in helping people move away from cigarettes.”

Dr Marina Murphy also gave Haypp’s view on vapes. She said the Cochrane findings suggest vapes “may be as effective as pharmaceutical aids” and are “significantly cheaper to supply”. She linked the plateau in their use through Stop Smoking Services to “increasing misinformation about vapes giving rise to distrust about the product amongst smokers, leading to much higher costs for the NHS.”

“There is no one-size-fits-all approach to quitting smoking,” she said. “Some smokers may successfully quit using NHS-supported treatments such as cytisinicline, while others may consider options such as nicotine replacement therapy, vaping or nicotine pouches. What matters is that smokers are aware that there are different options available and that they can access appropriate support.”

📷Doctor or physician writing diagnosis and giving a medical prescription to male Patient