Electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation: a randomised controlled trial

Introduction:
This text is a summary of a randomized controlled trial examining the effectiveness of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) in helping adults quit smoking compared to nicotine patches and placebo e-cigarettes. The study also aimed to assess the safety and adherence of e-cigarettes in a real-world setting. The key points and main message of the study are summarized below.

Key Points:

* The study was a three-parallel group, randomized controlled trial with 657 participants, conducted in Auckland, New Zealand.
* Participants were randomly assigned to nicotine e-cigarettes, nicotine patches, or placebo e-cigarettes in a 4:4:1 ratio.
* The primary outcome was biochemically verified continuous abstinence at 6 months after quit day, and secondary outcomes included continuous abstinence, 7-day point prevalence abstinence, number of tobacco cigarettes smoked per day, proportion of participants reducing tobacco smoking, time to relapse to tobacco smoking, number of patches or cartridges used, use of other cessation treatments, withdrawal symptoms, stage of addiction, smoking latency, and adverse events.
* The study found that e-cigarettes, with or without nicotine, were modestly effective at helping smokers quit, with similar achievement of abstinence as with nicotine patches, and few adverse events.
* There was no significant difference in achievement of abstinence between nicotine e-cigarettes and patches or placebo e-cigarettes.
* Adherence to study treatments was significantly higher in the nicotine e-cigarettes group compared with the patches group and placebo e-cigarettes group.
* The study found no significant differences in occurrence of adverse events between the nicotine e-cigarettes and patches groups over the duration of a standard NRT treatment course, and the further 3 months' monitoring.

Main Message:
The main message of this study is that e-cigarettes, with or without nicotine, are a modestly effective tool for helping smokers quit, with similar achievement of abstinence as with nicotine patches and few adverse events. However, there was no significant difference in achievement of abstinence between nicotine e-cigarettes and patches or placebo e-cigarettes. The study also highlights the importance of adherence to study treatments, as adherence was significantly higher in the nicotine e-cigarettes group compared with the patches group and placebo e-cigarettes group. Additionally, the study found no significant differences in occurrence of adverse events between the nicotine e-cigarettes and patches groups over the duration of a standard NRT treatment course, and the further 3 months' monitoring, suggesting that such short-term e-cigarette use is of low risk. However, longer-term use requires more research. Overall, the study provides valuable insights into the effectiveness and safety of e-cigarettes as a tool for smoking cessation.

Bullen, Christopher. “Electronic Cigarettes for Smoking Cessation: A Randomised Controlled Trial.” Lancet, no. 382 (2013): 1629–37. https://doi.org/http ://dx.doi.org /10.1016/.