Category: Research

Support with Flavors Helps Smokers Quit

Image: Tobacco Reporter archive
A new study has found that smokers who get help picking flavored e-cigarettes and receive supportive text messages are more likely to quit smoking, reports The Guardian.
The study was led by London South Bank University (LSBU), and it explored in what settings vapes could help smokers quit. After three months, about 25 percent had quit and a further 13 percent reduced cigarette consumption by more than half.
Those who received help choosing a vape flavor and got supportive texts were 55 percent more likely to quit smoking in three months.
“Smoking kills approximately 8 million people worldwide every year, and even some of the often most effective treatments have little effect on reducing the number of smokers,” said Lynne Dawkins, professor of nicotine and tobacco studies at LSBU. “From this treatment, 24.5 percent were smoke-free after three months and a further 13 percent had reduced their cigarette consumption by more than 50 percent.
“The simplicity of tailored support through flavor advice and supportive messages could have a huge impact in helping people lead smoke-free lives.”
The research examined: tailored advice on which product, nicotine strength or flavor to buy; brief information on vaping harms relative to smoking; and text message support. Some people received all of these, others received none and some received some but not all.
July 18, 2023
FDA Grant to Study Effects of Flavors

Image: Tobacco Reporter archive
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given the Center for Tobacco Research at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center a $3.9 million grant to evaluate the effects of e-cigarette flavors on smoking behaviors of current adult smokers, according to News Medical Lifesciences.
The study will be co-led by Theodore Wagener, director of Ohio State’s Center for Tobacco Research, and Tracy Smith from the Medical University of South Carolina Hollings Cancer Center.
Wagener says, “the FDA must decide how to balance its goals of protecting young people and offering harm-reduction options to adults. This new trial will generate critical data to help make more informed public health decisions that have a lasting impact.”
“The FDA is currently making regulatory decisions about e-cigarette flavors with incomplete scientific data,” Wagener said. “Existing data show that smokers also prefer flavored e-cigarettes, and while there are a few survey studies suggesting that flavored e-cigarettes may be more helpful for switching to vaping, these studies are not rigorous enough for the FDA to base its regulatory decisions on. Our study will be the first to provide the FDA with definitive information as to the benefit, if any, of e-cigarette flavors to adult smokers.”
The national, randomized, controlled trial will recruit up to 1,500 cigarette users from across the country, and researchers will measure e-cigarette flavor impact on product uptake and appeal, cigarette craving, symptoms, dependence and smoking behavior. Combination nicotine-replacement therapy will be used as a comparator to determine potential increased benefit of e-cigarettes versus nicotine-replacement therapy.
“If our study demonstrates no significant improvements in switching with flavored e-cigarette use, then the continued sale of these products is likely indefensible; however, if improvements are significant, these findings will provide a critical counterweight to the current FDA regulations and will aid future decision-making,” Wagener said.
July 13, 2023
Clinical Data on Vuse Illustrates Beneficial Public Health Impact

Image: Tobacco Reporter archive
New results from one of the largest ever vapor product studies, which analyzed BAT’s flagship vapor brand Vuse, have been published in the journal of Internal and Emergency Medicine, reports BAT.
The study compared clinical measurements from exclusive Vuse consumers with smokers. The results of the study show that participating Vuse consumers had favorable differences in biomarkers of exposure and biomarkers of potential harm relevant to smoking-related diseases when compared to smokers.
Vuse users have shown significantly lower biomarkers of exposure for priority cigarette smoke toxicants as defined by the World Health Organization. The data also showed favorable differences between Vuse consumers and smokers across all biomarkers of potential harm measured, with three being statistically significant.
James Murphy, director of research and science at BAT, said, “Vaping continues to grow in importance as adult smokers seek reduced-risk alternative nicotine products. That is why these results are so important for Vuse, BAT and consumers, as they allow us to better understand the positive real-world impact of vaping compared to smoking. The research shows a clear difference between those using Vuse compared to smokers and reinforces the reduced-risk potential and role of vapor in tobacco harm reduction.”
In an opinion piece published by Tobacco Reporter, Murphy elaborated on the significance of the study to tobacco harm reduction.
May 30, 2023
Youth Confused About Nicotine Sources: Study

Photo: kues1
A study conducted by University of North Carolina researchers and published in Tobacco Control found widespread uncertainty and misperceptions about the sources of nicotine in e-cigarettes among youth.
“An important contribution from this study is that adolescents don’t understand where nicotine in e-cigarettes comes from,” said first author Sarah Kowitt, assistant professor at UNC Family Medicine and UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, in a statement. “If youth don’t think e-cigarettes are tobacco products like cigarettes, that could increase the appeal of these products. The more youth associate e-cigarettes with cigarettes, the less youth like them.”
The study also found that while some youth were aware of e-cigarettes that contain synthetic or “tobacco-free” nicotine, most youth were unaware. Most importantly, Kowitt said that the experimental portion of the study revealed that describing synthetic nicotine as “tobacco-free nicotine” increased intentions to purchase e-cigarettes among youth who use e-cigarettes.

If youth don’t think e-cigarettes are tobacco products like cigarettes, that could increase the appeal of these products.
Sarah Kowitt, assistant professor, UNC Family Medicine and UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
“To me, the big takeaway from our study is that the language that is used [to] describe e-cigarettes—on packaging and advertising—shapes adolescent users’ views of the products and their intentions to use them,” said senior author Seth Noar, professor at the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media and UNC Lineberger. “The industry has increasingly used the term ‘tobacco-free nicotine’ to describe synthetic nicotine products, and our data strongly suggest that this term may be misleading to youth in ways that increase the appeal of these addictive products.”
The study is the first to examine how youth understand e-cigarettes with synthetic nicotine. Its goal is to inform efforts by governments and regulatory agencies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, to more effectively regulate the language used to describe synthetic nicotine products.
May 17, 2023
Survey: Americans Support Harm Reduction

Image: Maren Winter | Adobe Stock
Two out of three Americans support tobacco harm reduction over blanket prohibition as the better policy approach to tobacco regulation, according to a survey released by Altria.
The survey also shows that 82 percent think it is important for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to focus on making smoke-free tobacco products available to adult smokers to help them switch from cigarettes.
“There is clear, overwhelming support for the FDA embracing harm reduction for the 30 million American adults who smoke. That means providing adult smokers who are unable or unwilling to quit with wider access to smoke-free alternatives and providing them the information and support to help them switch,” said Paige Magness, senior vice president of regulatory affairs at Altria Client Services. “Pursuing harm reduction is one of the most powerful steps the FDA can take to deliver on its mission to reduce tobacco-related death and disease in the U.S. It is our hope that the FDA will listen to these voices as it sets out its policy agenda for the coming years.”
The survey also shows that 90 percent agree that the FDA has a responsibility to accurately inform adult tobacco consumers about the risks associated with different tobacco products, and 88 percent agree that the FDA has a responsibility to address the widespread misperception that nicotine causes cancer.
Most adults also agree that policies that ban tobacco products will lead to illicit markets for tobacco products, endangering public health, youth and communities of color.
“Most Americans understand that prohibition-based policies don’t work and that it’s much better for public health to keep tobacco products legal and regulated,” said Magness. “Harm reduction is the better path forward. With harm reduction, regulators provide adult smokers with information, choice and support to expand the off-ramp from smoking—while also continuing to drive down underage use.”
The survey results also underscore the clear expectations that adults have for physicians to help adult smokers who want to switch, according to Altria. Seventy-nine percent agree that if certain tobacco products have been scientifically shown to be less risky than cigarettes, physicians have a responsibility to communicate this information to their patients who are adult tobacco consumers and have not successfully quit smoking by using traditional cessation therapies.
In addition to general population adults, the survey asked primary care physicians about their views on tobacco harm reduction. Of those surveyed, 89 percent support tobacco harm reduction as a public health concept and 85 percent believe it is important for the FDA to focus on making smoke-free tobacco products available to adult smokers to help them switch from cigarettes to less harmful alternatives.
Policy professionals were also surveyed and overwhelmingly believe that harm reduction is a better approach for the FDA to focus on than prohibition (78 percent), that tobacco products should remain legal so they can be properly regulated (77 percent) and that the FDA has a responsibility to accurately inform adult tobacco consumers about the different levels of risk associated with tobacco products (96 percent).
April 14, 2023
Smoking Down Among Danish Youth

Image: Tobacco Reporter archive
Cigarette consumption among Danish youth has declined, but the use of nicotine products has increased, reports The Local Denmark.
Snus, nicotine pouches and vaping devices have become more popular with youth in Denmark, with 35.1 percent of 15-year-olds to 29-year-olds using these products daily or regularly, up from 26.3 percent in 2020.
Cigarette use fell to 19 percent from 20.1 percent while smoke-free nicotine product use increased to 12.9 percent from 9.1 percent, according to a study by Denmark’s National Institute of Public Health and the University of Southern Denmark on behalf of the Danish Health Authority.
“We also found that it is especially newer products, such as vaping devices and smoke-free nicotine products, that seem to be especially popular among very young people,” said Nanna Jarlstrup, one of the report’s researchers. “That is naturally concerning.”
“We are also unfortunately seeing use of some of the illegal products increasing. That is, for example, the new disposable vapes, Puff Bars,” Jarlstrup said.
“It’s not legal to sell them in Denmark, but we can see young people have access to them because they use them,” she said.
The number of people aged 15 to 17 who smoke has increased despite fewer people aged 18 to 24 smoking cigarettes daily or occasionally compared to 2020.
Denmark has banned smoking during school and further education hours and removed cigarettes from displays in stores as well as increased the price of a pack of cigarettes to help decrease smoking.
April 13, 2023
Tobacco Used to Create Moth Pheromones

Image: Tobacco Reporter archive
Scientists have used Nicotiana benthamiana, a species of tobacco, to produce the sex pheromone of two moth species, which could potentially help cut down on pesticides, according to Tech Explorist.
By using precision gene engineering techniques, scientists at the Earlham Institute in Norwich have been able to turn tobacco plants into solar-powered factories for moth sex pheromones.
To trap or divert male insects from mating, farmers can place pheromone dispersers in their crops to mimic the signals of female insects.
“Synthetic biology can allow us to engineer plants to make a lot more of something they already produced, or we can provide the genetic instructions that allow them to build new biological molecules, such as medicines or these pheromones,” said Nicola Patron, the study’s principal investigator and director of the Earlham Institute’s Synthetic Biology Group.
“As we increase the efficiency, too much energy is diverted away from normal growth and development,” Patron added. “The plants are producing a lot of pheromones, but they’re not able to grow very large, which essentially reduces the capacity of our production line. Our new research provides a way to regulate gene expression with much more subtlety.”
“We’ve shown we can control the levels of expression of each gene relative to the others. This allows us to control the ratio of products that are made.”
“Getting that recipe right is particularly important for moth pheromones as they’re often a blend of two or three molecules in specific ratios. Our collaborators in Spain are now extracting the plant-made pheromones and testing them in dispensers to see how well they compare to female moths.”
April 10, 2023
HCD Releases R&D of Fibre Coil

Image: Hazem | Adobe Stock
The international atomizing manufacturer HCD (Huachengda) released new research and development of Fibre Coil technology, reports PR Newswire.
The Fibre Coil is a new generation of technology developed in view of international flavor bans, aiming to solve the problems of the taste of electronic cigarette products and the degree of reduction of the traditional tobacco flavor, according to a press release.
The two most popular carburetor materials in the market are ceramic coil and cotton core. Chen Ping, CEO and chief engineer of HCD, said the current ceramic coils are tough and easy to assemble, but due to technical limitations, their fine and small pore structure leads to unstable liquid discharge, as juices with higher viscosity, such as tobacco flavor, cannot flow smoothly.
“Considering the different characteristics of tobacco flavor and fruit flavor juice, HCD has come up with an optimized tobacco flavor through its evaporator,” said Chen. “Ideally, different flavors of juice would require different evaporators, just as one key only opens one lock.”
To achieve this goal, HCD has invested heavily in research and development to develop a new type of Fibre Coil, which it filed a patent for in 2021. The Fibre Coil is made by breaking the fibers into a pulp and then “sticking together” with an adhesive to ensure the consistency of the material while improving uniformity, stability and vaporization.
Currently, the company has CottonX, a larger coil suitable for disposable e-cigarettes, and Fibre Coil, a smaller, more compact coil still under development for pod system electronic nicotine-delivery system products.
April 6, 2023
Study: Smoking Outside Still Harms Kids

Image: Larysa | Adobe Stock
A new study out of Israel shows that even when adults smoke outside, six out of 10 kids are at risk from tobacco smoke harm, according to The Jerusalem Post.
Researchers from Tel Aviv University tested for the presence of nicotine in the hair of children whose parents smoke. Data analysis showed that among smoking families who restricted smoking to porches or outdoors, 62 percent of children were exposed to tobacco smoke.
The first stage of the study, published two years ago, showed that 70 percent of children in smoking families, regardless of smoking location, had measurable hair nicotine content, but now the researchers have examined the data by location.
“Smoking should be avoided within a range of at least 10 meters from the house—and in open areas, smoking should be kept to a distance of at least 10 meters away from children,” the researchers wrote in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
“The Israeli situation is of great concern because in many cases, porches in Israel are directly adjacent to the living areas and may even be partially open some of the time; the proximity allows smoke to drift from those areas to the interior of the house,” said Leah (Laura) Rosen, head researcher and professor at the School of Public Health in Tel Aviv University’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine. “The parents mistakenly believe that the porch offers a ‘safe’ place to smoke. In fact, the children are likely to be directly exposed when they come out to the porch and someone is smoking or when smoke drifts into the house.
“Once in the home, the smoke is absorbed into the environment, for example, into the furniture or walls or rugs, and is then gradually discharged into the air over weeks or months. Further, this residual smoke, known as thirdhand smoke, can be absorbed into the body from the environment via swallowing or through the skin, especially among infants and small children. In addition, smoking parents transmit the toxins from the tobacco smoke on their skin, on their hands, in their hair and on their clothing, so it is recommended to brush teeth, wash hands and change clothes after smoking before making contact with children.”
“The results of this study show that among smoking families, restricting smoking to the porch does not protect most children from exposure to tobacco smoke,” Rosen said. “Therefore, the health ministry’s approach, which opposes protection for individuals from smoke incursion into their own homes in order to protect the smokers’ children, does not protect the children of smokers, and in addition, it can cause substantial harm to neighbors and the children of neighbors.
“We ask the health ministry to reconsider its stand in light of these findings. Israel must make the reduction of parental smoking a national goal and invest the appropriate resources in this issue. Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions regarding when and how the exposure occurs. Eighty-five percent of tobacco smoke is invisible, and our sense of smell is not reliable, so many parents mistakenly believe that they are protecting their children while in fact they are exposing them to substantial health risks. As a society, we must safeguard citizens and distance everyone from the risks of tobacco smoke exposure, especially infants and children, pregnant women and all vulnerable populations.”
April 4, 2023
Paper Addresses Harm Reduction of Pouches

Knowledge-Action-Change (KAC) has published the latest in a series of briefing papers as part of its Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction (GSTHR) project.
What are nicotine pouches? provides an overview of the latest information about the scientific evidence, market data, regulatory landscape and tobacco harm potential for this relatively new safer nicotine product, according to KAC.
Nicotine pouches are thumbnail-sized sachets that are placed under the lip. They are made from vegetable fibers infused with nicotine and a range of flavors. Nicotine pouches are sometimes confused with Swedish snus, another safer nicotine product that was the subject of a previous GSTHR briefing paper. Both products are placed under the lip, but while Swedish snus contains tobacco, nicotine pouches do not contain any raw or processed tobacco leaves.
As a new product category, the body of evidence examining their safety is still growing, but preliminary findings indicate that nicotine pouches offer people who use nicotine a significantly safer alternative to smoking.
“This briefing paper aims to increase knowledge about, and awareness of, the tobacco harm reduction potential of nicotine pouches,” said Gerry Stimson, director of KAC and emeritus professor at Imperial College London. “Good quality information about the full range of different safer nicotine products is essential for consumers, policymakers and regulators.
“Nicotine pouches could make a significant contribution to tobacco harm reduction. This is particularly the case for the more than 300 million people worldwide who use smokeless tobacco products, most of whom live in low-[income] and middle-income countries where health systems are less well-resourced to diagnose and treat noncommunicable diseases. High-risk oral tobacco products such as betel quid, paan or gutkha contain relatively high levels of carcinogenic and toxic compounds and increase the risk of oral, esophageal and pancreatic cancers. In contrast, nicotine pouches have been found to have a similar risk profile to nicotine replacement therapy.
“Nicotine pouches may not yet be as widely used as nicotine vapes, but the global market for these products is already worth $1.5 billion. This provides good evidence that tobacco users find these products acceptable and will switch to them. In comparison to some other safer nicotine product categories, nicotine pouches are low cost and have minimal start-up and on-costs for consumers, meaning they offer significant hope to many low-[income] and middle-income countries where high-risk oral tobacco use is prevalent.”
March 31, 2023