Palatability of Experimental Cigarettes - Study 2

University of Minnesota36 enrolled

Overview

Smoking remains a leading cause of preventable disease and premature death worldwide. Approximately 1 out of every 5 deaths is associated with cigarette smoking, and roughly half of all daily smokers will die prematurely from tobacco-related illness. Reducing the nicotine in cigarettes to the point that they are rendered non-addictive can potentially be an effective public policy measure that can significantly reduce tobacco-related mortality and morbidity by decreasing the initiation of smoking and promoting cessation. The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (FSPTCA) enables the FDA to establish tobacco product standards including placing limits on the allowable nicotine content of cigarettes. Currently, no reduced nicotine cigarettes are available that will allow studying the feasibility of this policy measure. The National Institute on Drug Abuse has contracted with Research Triangle Institute to assist in the development of cigarettes with varying nicotine content that can be made available to researchers. They have established a contract that will result in the manufacture of 9 million cigarettes to be distributed to the research community. Prior to full production, the palatability and nicotine intake of these cigarettes in smokers must be determined.

Phase 3: This descriptive study will use a between subjects, double blind design. This study will test 3 nicotine levels of nicotine, tar and ventilation. Subjects and research assistants will be blind to the cigarette type.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

DOUBLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 64 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * 18-64 years old * Regular smokers (10+ cigarettes per day and has done so for the last year) * Inhaling when smoking * Carbon monoxide (CO) \> 8 ppm Exclusion Criteria: * In the past year, suffered from any cardiovascular disease such as: heart disease, heart attack, stroke or angina, any respiratory diseases such as chronic bronchitis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), any type of cancer * Currently suffering from Bipolar Disorder, General Anxiety Disorder, Schizophrenia, or a major depressive episode * Taken any of the following drugs more than twice per week during the past month: antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications. * Consumed more than 15 alcoholic drinks per week for the past month * Pregnant, trying to become pregnant, or lactating (assessed by self-report) * In the past 3 months, used nicotine replacement products (like the patch, gum, or inhaler), or the medications bupropion varenicline * Currently trying or planning to reduce or quit tobacco use in the next 30 days * Used other forms of tobacco 10 or more days in the past 30 days

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Change in UrineTotal Nicotine Equivalent (TNE) Between Baseline and Week 1

Two urine TNE levels are taken, one at baseline and one at week 1, to assess TNE levels for nicotine exposure. TNE is the sum of nicotine, cotinine, trans 3'-hydroxycotinine and their respective glucuronide conjugates. Values reported in nmols/ml.

Time frame: Second Visit (Week 1) minus Baseline (Day 1)

Secondary Outcomes

Responses on Modified Cigarette Evaluation Scale

Modified Cigarette Evaluation Scale \[CES\] is a 100 mm visual analog scale (0=not at all or very little nicotine; 100=extremely or high in nicotine) of 20 questions assessing different dimensions of responses to usual brand cigarettes (e.g., psychological reward, satisfaction and aversiveness) and includes additional 5 point likert-type questions (definitely agree to definitely disagree) on perceptions of satisfaction and willingness to use the product. Results satisfaction subscale.

Time frame: Baseline usual brand cigarettes (Day 1) compared to when using study cigarettes (Week 1)

Change From Baseline of Perceived Health Risk Scale Response to Test Cigarettes

Questionnaire: Perceived Health Risk Scale asks subjects to rate their perception of health risks for lung cancer for the study product to which they have been randomly assigned. This is a 100 mm visual analog scale; 0=very low risk of disease, 100=very high risk of disease.

Time frame: Baseline (Day 1) Compared to Second Visit (Week 1)

Comparison of Number of Cigarettes Smoked

Subjects were given a daily diary to collect the number of study and/or conventional cigarettes they have smoked each day. Cigarettes smoked (both usual brand and experimental) in a given week were summed over the first 7 reported days. If the number of cigarettes smoked was missing for 1 day, the average of the other days in that week was used in its place and reported as total number of cigarettes per week.

Time frame: 1 week