by the end of the therapy. Patch The patches provide slow absorption of nicotine into blood within the day and work for 16 hours. They are usually applied in the morning and removed at bedtime. The patch supports smoking cessation within 12 week programme: 25 mg patch (25 mg nicotine over 16 hours) for eight weeks (Step 1), 15 mg patch for two weeks (Step 2), 10 mg patch for the last two weeks (Step 3). Light smokers (less than 10 cigarettes per day) were recommended to start at Step 2 (15 mg) for eight weeks and reduce the dose to 10 mg for the last four weeks. Microtab Microtab supplies nicotine to the body by mouth. It is different from the chewing gum because instead of chewing the patient should allow the tablet to dissolve slowly under the tongue (the tablet dissolves in about 20-30 minutes). The action is similar to 2 mg nicotine gum. Microtabs are used either for smoking cessation or smoking reduction. For smoking cessation the standard dose is one tablet (2 mg) per hour for patients who smoke less than 20 cigarettes per day. When the craving is strong two tablets can be taken instead of one. Most patients require between 8 and 24 tablets per day. British Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency recommends not to exceed 40 tablets per day limit. Treatment should be stopped when daily consumption is around 1-2 tablets per day. Spray A spray of nicotine is available. Tentative evidence supports that it is better than a placebo. MHRA suggests not to use more than 2 sprays at a time, up to 4 sprays per hour and no more than 64 sprays per 24 hours period. History Nicotine gum The Nicorette brand started with a nicotine chewing gum developed in Helsingborg (Sweden) by the company Leo AB, later part of Pharmacia & Upjohn. It was the first product for nicotine replacement therapy and gained its inventor, Ove Fernö, titles like "the founding father of modern pharmacotherapy for smoking". On December 12, 1967, Fernö, Vice President of Research and Development at AB Leo, received a mail from his friend Dr. Claes Lundgren at the Department of Aviation Medicine at the Physiological Institute of Lund University, suggesting he develop an orally consumed substitute for tobacco. He and his colleague Stefan Lichtneckert noted how submariners and aviation crews switched from cigarettes to chewing