Smoking Cessation Program – Information for Pharmacists
The B.C. government’s Smoking Cessation Program helps eligible B.C residents of any age stop smoking or using other tobacco products by:
- covering 100% of the cost of specific non-prescription nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products; or
- contributing to the cost of specific prescription smoking cessation drugs.
Program policy and claims procedures
- Section 5.20 PharmaCare Policy Manual (PDF)
- List of eligible smoking cessation products with DINs and NPNs
- Pharmacists’ Quick Reference Sheet (PDF) for submitting claims
- Declaration and Notification form (HLTH 5464) (PDF) (for NRTs)
Clinical Information
- QuitNow: Healthcare Providers: Training opportunities, referral forms, patient handouts (SmartSteps) and more
- Potential drug interactions with smoking and quitting (PDF)
- Smoking Cessation Pharmacotherapy (PDF): Summary for health care providers, based on the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) report, Pharmacologic-based Strategies for Smoking Cessation: Clinical and Cost-Effectiveness Analyses
For Your Patients
- Patient information sheet and posters
- Patients’ Frequently Asked Questions
- Healthy Families BC’s Prescription for Health program provides health risk assessment and lifestyle support services
- B.C.'s free quit-smoking program, QuitNow, provides
- free one-on-one QuitNow coaching by phone, online chat and group sessions. Translation services
- tips and tools for quitting on the QuitNow website
Patients with Federal Coverage
PharmaCare covers NRTs for all residents of British Columbia, of any age, who have active MSP coverage, use tobacco, and have not already exhausted their yearly limit on NRTs covered by PharmaCare.
This includes individuals who do not have PharmaCare plan coverage and those with active MSP and federal coverage under, for instance:
- Interim Federal Health Program (delivered through Citizenship and Immigration Canada)
- Veterans Affairs Canada
- Canadian Forces
- Non-Insured Health Benefits Program
- RCMP members (retired)
Residents covered by federal drug plans may choose whether to use PharmaCare coverage or their federal coverage.
Please note: The prescription smoking cessation drugs bupropion (Zyban®) and varenicline (generics)* are covered only for individuals with Fair PharmaCare coverage or coverage under PharmaCare Plans B (Residential Care), C (Income Assistance), G (Psychiatric Medications), or W (First Nations Health Benefits).
*Champix® (varenicline brand name) is a partial benefit.
