Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) products are the most commonly used smoking cessation (SC) pharmacotherapy. This study explored the deregulation of NRT products from pharmacy-only distribution to general sales in Finland which took place in 2006. The overall aim of this study was to assess the reasons for the NRT deregulation and its reflections on SC practices in Finland. NRT deregulation was explored from three perspectives: 1) policy-making; 2) community pharmacists as health care professionals providing guidance on NRT use; and 3) NRT users perceptions of NRT in SC.

The NRT deregulation from the policy-making perspective was assessed by inductive content analysis of all the publicly available documents and interviews of 12 Members of the Parliament (Study I). A nationwide representative survey to every second pharmacy owner and staff pharmacist (n= 2291) was conducted a year after the deregulation in 2006-2007 (Studies II and III). The NRT users perspective was assessed by inductive content analysis of smokers and quitters postings (n= 24 481) in five internet discussion areas in the national SC support Forum, STUMPPI, in 2007-2012 (Study IV).