Nicotine Regulation for Dual Users of E-cigarettes and Cigarettes

Conditions

• Tobacco Use Disorder

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

ALL

Age

21 Years - N/A

Healthy Volunteers

Accepted

Interventions

• Varying the nicotine content of cigarettes — OTHER
  Altering the nicotine content of the tobacco research cigarettes
• Varying the nicotine content of e-cigarettes — OTHER
  Altering the nicotine content of the research e-cigarettes

Study Details

Cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in the US. Use of multiple tobacco products is becoming increasingly prevalent, with dual use of e-cigarettes and cigarettes representing the most common combination. Though e-cigarettes are not without risk, completely switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes likely reduces risk for tobacco-related harm. However, many established dual users maintain long-term smoking and the majority who use e-cigarettes non-daily are at an even greater risk for prolonged smoking than exclusive cigarette smokers. The Food and Drug Administration Center for Tobacco Products (FDA CTP) has announced plans to implement a nicotine-limiting product standard, capping the nicotine in cigarettes at a minimally or non-addictive level. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) demonstrate that adults who exclusively smoke cigarettes respond to very low nicotine content (VLNC) cigarettes with reductions in smoking, demand, and dependence. However, nicotine reduction RCTs to date have excluded people who regularly use e-cigarettes and therefore it remains unclear how a nicotine-limiting standard for cigarettes would affect smoking among dual users. Given the potential substitutability of e-cigarettes for cigarettes, reducing the nicotine in cigarettes could promote a transition to exclusive e-cigarette use among dual users unable to completely quit nicotine, but only if sufficiently appealing e-cigarettes remain available. E-cigarettes containing 5% nicotine-salt solution are currently most popular in the US, but policy makers have proposed restricting e-cigarettes to ≤ 2% nicotine to curb youth e-cigarette use, and several states have already set limits to reduce nicotine in e-cigarettes. Prior laboratory studies indicate that higher vs lower nicotine e-cigarettes serve as better substitutes for cigarettes among adult dual users. As such, a restriction on e-cigarette nicotine concentration could undermine the potential for e-cigarettes to substitute for cigarettes and diminish the benefits of a nicotine-limiting standard for cigarettes among dual users. This study is a 12-week double-blind 2 cigarette level (Normal Nicotine vs Very Low Nicotine) x 2 e-cigarette level (High Nicotine vs Low Nicotine) between-subjects factorial trial to investigate how a nicotine-limiting standard for cigarettes affects adult dual users and whether these effects are impacted by constraints on e-cigarette nicotine concentration. Outcome measures include cigarettes per day, cigarette dependence, and toxicant exposure. The research is highly relevant to FDA CTP domains of Addiction and Behavior because it will test whether reducing the nicotine content of cigarettes reduces smoking and dependence, and whether these effects are moderated by the availability of high vs low nicotine e-cigarettes.

Key Dates

Start date

Nov 1, 2024

Status verified

Sep 2024

Primary completion

Aug 31, 2028

Completion

Sep 30, 2028

Study Design

Enrollment

308 participants (estimated)

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

FACTORIAL

Primary purpose

OTHER

Arms

• Experimental: RC 1 + REC 1
  Research cigarettes #1 plus research e-cigarettes #1
• Experimental: RC 1 + REC 2
  Research cigarettes #1 plus research e-cigarettes #2
• Experimental: RC 2 + REC 1
  Research cigarettes #2 plus research cigarettes #1
• Experimental: RC 2 + REC 2
  Research cigarettes #2 + research e-cigarettes #2

Primary Outcome Measure

Number of cigarettes smoked per day [ Time Frame: 12 weeks ]

Central Contacts

• Emily Booth
  802-656-1641
  [email protected]

Locations (2)

Find similar trials in Providence, RI

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