Metered Nicotine Inhaler Doubles Smoking Cessation

A new study shows that smokers who used an active nicotine pressurized metered dose inhaler (pMDI) were twice as likely to quit smoking as those using a placebo inhaler.

Researchers at the University of Otago (Wellington, New Zealand) conducted a double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial involving 502 adults who smoked at least nine cigarettes per day, and who wanted to quit. The patients were randomized to pMDI and active nicotine patch, versus placebo pMDI and active nicotine patch. The aerosols were used for six months and the patches daily for four months. The primary outcome was prolonged smoking cessation for seven consecutive days.

The results showed that 31.71% subjects in the active group were smoke abstinent, compared to only 17.97% in the control group. Participants in the active nicotine aerosol group reported mild coughing, which decreased with regular use. The researchers concluded that the pMDI nicotine inhaler, similar to that used for treating asthma, could offer an alternative therapeutic option for smoking cessation. The study was published on May 17, 2016 in Nicotine & Tobacco Research.

“Currently most smokers use nicotine patches to help them stop smoking. This study shows that if you add a nicotine inhaler to a nicotine patch, it doubles the chances of quitting over a nicotine patch alone,” said senior author Professor Julian Crane, MD. “New Zealand has been a world leader in tobacco control public policy and this new home-grown development offers a world-first opportunity to help the 80% or more of smokers who want to quit achieve their aims.”

Nicotine is an alkaloid found in the nightshade plant family that constitutes approximately 0.6–3% of the dry weight of tobacco, with biosynthesis taking place in the roots and accumulation occurring in the leaves. In low concentrations (an average cigarette yields about 1 mg of absorbed nicotine), the substance acts as a stimulant in mammals and is the main factor responsible for the dependence-forming properties of tobacco smoking.

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