There haven't been many reports on studies that were not sponsored or promoted by the anti-tobacco (i.e. anti-vaping) lobby. This study struck me as actually useful to us as it is in line with the anecdotal evidence of tens of thousands of vapers over the last ten years.
A new study has provided further evidence that vaping has no harmful implications for health, at least in the short to medium term. Carried out for Fontem Ventures, an Imperial Brands subsidiary that manufactures the Blu closed-system e-cigarette, the experiment involved a large group of smokers who volunteered to use a reduced risk product.
Scientists tested for short and longer-term effects
The clinical trial followed more than 200 volunteers who switched from smoking to an e-cigarette and used it continuously for two years; during this period they were monitored continuously for health problems, and at the end of the study they were checked for a range of key markers. The researchers found that there were no serious health issues linked to e-cig use; some users suffered headaches, coughing, sore throats and nasopharyngitis shortly after switching, but these faded over time.
More importantly, the volunteers showed no signs of heart or lung problems at the end of the trial. Nicotine levels were close to those at the start of the period; withdrawal symptoms were not significant, and had more or less disappeared by the second month. There were also no signs of weight gain, a common problem when people quit smoking using traditional methods. The overall conclusion was that “the aerosol of the EVP (Electronic Vapour Product) at study was well tolerated and not associated with any clinically relevant health concerns after usage for up to 24 months.”
Funding will attract critics – but the science is sound
While this study is likely to be criticised because it was carried out for the tobacco industry, the actual research was done by independent labs. The results were analysed by a team from Fontem headed by company science director Tanvir Walele, then peer-reviewed before publication in Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology. This research agrees with an earlier review by the Cochrane Collaboration, an internationally respected independent group; Cochrane also found no health risks associated with vaping.
Highlights
- • There were no safety concerns in smokers using an EVP for 2 years.
- • Headache, nasopharyngitis and sore throat were the most common adverse events in smokers using an EVP, declining over time.
- • The frequency of adverse events steadily decreased over time after switching to an EVP.
- • EVP (vaping devices) use was associated with a reduction in cigarette consumption and a reduced exposure to cigarette smoke constituents.
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Use of the EVP did not lead to clinically significant adverse changes in biomarkers of haematology or lipid metabolism.
Abstract
The safety profile of Puritane™, a closed system electronic vapour product (EVP), was evaluated when used by smokers of conventional cigarettes (CCs) for 24 months in a real-life setting. The study was a two-centre ambulatory clinical study with 209 healthy volunteers. Outcome measures included adverse events (AEs), vital signs, electrocardiogram, lung function tests, exposure to nicotine and selected smoke constituents, nicotine withdrawal effects and smoking desire. No serious AEs related to EVP use were observed. The most frequently reported AEs were headache, nasopharyngitis, sore throat and cough, reported by 28.7%, 28.7%, 19.6% and 16.7% of subjects, respectively, which dissipated over time. Small decreases in lung function were not considered clinically relevant. No clinically relevant findings were observed in the other safety parameters. From Month 2, nicotine withdrawal symptoms decreased. Smoking desire and CC consumption steadily decreased over time in all subjects. EVP use was associated with reduced exposure to cigarette smoke constituents, whereas urinary nicotine levels remained close to baseline. Body weight did not increase in CC subjects switching to the EVP. In conclusion, the aerosol of the EVP at study was well tolerated and not associated with any clinically relevant health concerns after usage for up to 24 months.
You can read the entire study report: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yrtph.2017.12.010
