Combines Nicotine and Pilocarpine in the form of Gum or Lozenge as Safer Alternative to Betel Quid Usage
This composition combines pilocarpine and nicotine in the form of chewing gum or lozenge, serving as replacement therapy for the addictive use of betel quid. Betel quids are the world’s fourth most-used stimulant after alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine. Approximately 600 million people, particularly in South Asia, are habitual users. Betel quid use is classifiable as drug dependence, leading to short and long-term addiction, putting users at a higher risk of developing oral disease and cancer. The main psychoactive agent in betel quid is arecoline, a muscarinic acetylcholine receptor-specific agonist from the fruit of Areca catechu palm (Areca nut). It enables users to receive short-term euphoric and stimulant effects of betel quid. There are currently no safer alternatives to betel quid use, making cessation a challenge despite the associated health concerns. It is necessary to develop affordable therapies that manage betel quid withdrawals, cravings, and relapse without producing compliance-limiting side effects.
Researchers at the University of Florida have developed a cessation therapy for betel quid addiction. By combining a safer muscarinic drug, pilocarpine, with nicotine in gum or lozenge, this therapy can satisfy quid users without being as harmful, leading to a reduction in healthcare costs associated with addiction, oral disease, and cancer.
Application
Pilocarpine and nicotine composition as a safer alternative and cessation treatment for addictive use of betel quid, preventing oral disease and cancer
Advantages
A safer alternative to betel quid use, reducing the risk of developing oral disease and cancer and associated healthcare costs
Pilocarpine does not affect the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors associated with addiction, reducing the severity of addiction and withdrawal symptoms
The therapy combines pilocarpine with nicotine in a gum, enabling the nicotine to satisfy the drug dependence produced by using betel quid
Pilocarpine stimulates the salivary glands, satisfying the conditioned stimuli of salivation associated with betel quid
Technology
Pilocarpine, like arecoline, is a muscarinic acetylcholine receptor-specific agonist. It does not affect the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors associated with addiction as arecoline does. This product takes the form of either a gum or lozenge, containing pilocarpine to produce stimulation of salivary glands in the mouth. It recreates the salivation experience familiar to a betel quid user. The composition also includes nicotine to satisfy the drug dependence present in betel quid consumers, derived from stimulation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and the presence of tobacco as a secondary ingredient in many instances. This composition depicts a replacement therapy for the addictive use of betel quid, involving the use of a safer alternative to Areca nut, known to carry a high risk of developing cancer or other oral diseases. Replacement of betel quid by this product can aid in addiction cessation and reduce withdrawal symptoms along with the risk of developing oral disease or cancer.
Dr. Indraneel “Neel” Bhattacharyya, director of the Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology Residency Program at the University of Florida’s College of Dentistry, is a key opinion leader and critical collaborating scientist on this invention. For more information, you can find Dr. Bhattacharyya’s bio, here.
