Healthy results for Ploom
Ploom Tech was launched in March in nearly 900 stores in Fukuoka, Japan, as well as in online shops nationwide.
Japan Tobacco Inc. said today that the results of a clinical study had demonstrated a reduction in exposure to, and uptake of, selected harmful and potentially harmful constituents (HPHCs) in Japanese healthy adult smokers who switched to Ploom TECH, JT’s tobacco vapor product.
The study was conducted in consultation with a medical advisor, Yuji Kumagai, MD, PhD, a professor at the Kitasato Clinical Research Center.
The researchers randomly assigned 60 Japanese healthy adult smokers for five days to one of three groups: (a) a group whose members switched to Ploom TECH (PT); (b) a group whose members continued to smoke their own brand of combustible cigarette (CC); or (c) a smoking abstinence group (SA).
After the five-day study period, the levels of 15 biomarkers of exposure (BoEs) to selected HPHCs were found to have been significantly reduced in the PT group compared to those in the CC group.
And, significantly, the magnitude of the reduction in BoE levels observed in the PT group was similar to that observed in the SA group.
‘The study results show that completely switching to Ploom TECH from combustible cigarettes leads to significant reductions in exposure to, and uptake into the body of, selected HPHCs,’ JT said in a note posted on its website. ‘Although further research is required, these results strongly support the potential of Ploom TECH use to reduce the health risks associated with smoking.’
JT pointed out that, currently, there were no globally-agreed standards for assessing the relative risks to health associated with the use of different tobacco or other nicotine-containing products, though some countries had set guidelines in this field.
‘JT continues to engage in research and development to develop new methodologies to substantiate, through objective science, product risk reduction,’ the company said. ‘As we continue with our studies, we will communicate our progress via our science website – JT Science.’
