Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) is banned by law in the Democratic Republic of Congo, although its products are regulated as medicinal products and included on the country's essential drugs list. Therefore, it is illegal to sell NRT products. The fact that NRTs are on the country's essential drugs list, implies that these products are only available in pharmacies and can be purchased with prescriptions. It is not clear whether these products can be imported for personal use, so it is advised to keep the prescription or purchase documents with you.
Regulation
- WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2023. Available at: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/country-profiles/tobacco/gtcr-2023/tobacco-2023-cod.pdf?sfvrsn=5afea68c_3&download=true. Accessed: 6 May 2025.
Availability
| Year | Value | Reference/Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Yes | 1A |
| 2022 | No | 1B |
- WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2019. https://www.who.int/tobacco/global_report/en/ (2019).
- WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2023. Available at: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/country-profiles/tobacco/gtcr-2023/tobacco-2023-cod.pdf?sfvrsn=5afea68c_3&download=true. Accessed: 6 May 2025.
| Year | Value | Reference/Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Yes | 1A |
| 2022 | No | 1B |
- WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2019. https://www.who.int/tobacco/global_report/en/ (2019).
- WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2023. Available at: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/country-profiles/tobacco/gtcr-2023/tobacco-2023-cod.pdf?sfvrsn=5afea68c_3&download=true. Accessed: 6 May 2025.
| Year | Value | Reference/Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Pharmacy | 1A |
| 2022 | None | 1B |
- WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2019. https://www.who.int/tobacco/global_report/en/ (2019).
- WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2023. Available at: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/country-profiles/tobacco/gtcr-2023/tobacco-2023-cod.pdf?sfvrsn=5afea68c_3&download=true. Accessed: 6 May 2025.
- WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2023. Available at: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/country-profiles/tobacco/gtcr-2023/tobacco-2023-cod.pdf?sfvrsn=5afea68c_3&download=true. Accessed: 6 May 2025.
- WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2019. https://www.who.int/tobacco/global_report/en/ (2019).
Formal support
- WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2023. Available at: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/country-profiles/tobacco/gtcr-2023/tobacco-2023-cod.pdf?sfvrsn=5afea68c_3&download=true. Accessed: 6 May 2025.
Publications
Tobacco harm reduction in Sub-Saharan Africa
With the number of tobacco users across the continent set to rise by 2025, we look at the current state of tobacco harm reduction in the region, assessing the progress made so far and the obstacles preventing greater adoption of safer nicotine products.
