$3.9 Million Grant to evaluate effects of e-cigarette flavors on smoking behaviors

A new grant from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will allow researchers at Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center to evaluate the effects of e-cigarettes flavors on the smoking behaviors of adult smokers. The study will be aimed at understanding whether or not non-tobacco e-cigarette flavors, like cotton candy or fruit, does help adult smokers stop smoking. This is the first step into a good direction for vapers, who have used e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation. How will this fair out? Will it actually benefit the vaping community in the end? Continue reading for more information.

The study will be led by Theodore Wagner, PhD who's the director of Ohio State’s Center for Tobacco Research alongside Tracy Smith, PhD from Medical University of South Carolina Hollings Cancer Center. 

Wagener believes that the study and scientific data that will be attained is extremely beneficial for the FDA as they continue to regulate flavored e-cigarettes, as we’ve discussed many times in previous blogs. The FDA continues to regulate flavored vapes based on insufficient studies and condemning them as a way for children to get into smoking. 

Wagner states, “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 study will recruit up to 1,500 cigarette users in the U.S. in a randomized and controlled trial. The participants will receive products, at no cost, for 14 weeks. There will be three groups: preferred flavored e-cigarette, tobacco flavored e-cigarette or combination nicotine replacement therapy. 

The participants in the preferred flavor group will be able to change flavors throughout the study. The study is hoping that it will demonstrate whether no significant improvements will occur when switching between flavored e-cigarettes and non-flavored e-cigaretes, or if there is significant improvements. Then all the regulations the FDA has been making will be countered, and hope for the vaping community will be better.

What are your thoughts? Will you sign up? Comment below. 

References:

1. Theodore Wagener Profile, https://cancer.osu.edu/find-a-researcher/search-researcher-directory/theodore-wagener
2. ESTOP Blog on flavored vapes, https://www.eliquidstop.com/blogs/vaping-news/a-ban-on-flavored-e-cigarettes-but-flavored-alcohol-is-universally-accepted 
3. ESTOP Blog #2 on flavored vapes, https://www.eliquidstop.com/blogs/vaping-news/fda-cracks-down-on-the-sale-of-elf-bar
4. Wagener identifying that there is not enough data for FDA, https://cancer.osu.edu/news/grant-funds-ecigarette-flavoring-research-at-center-for-tobacco-research#:~:text=COLUMBUS%2C%20Ohio%20%2D%20A%20new%20%243.9,behaviors%20of%20current%20adult%20smokers.