E-cigarettes more effective than nicotine replacement therapy

Smokers are three times more likely to succeed in quitting smoking with the use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) or e-cigarettes, compared to those prescribed with nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), based on a new study by University College London.

The research involved close to 19,000 smokers in England over a 12-year period from 2006 to 2018, making it one of the largest to examine the success rates of all the commonly used methods people use to stop smoking. 

The study found that smokers who used e-cigarettes were 95 percent more likely to quit smoking than those trying without, while those that used prescribed NRT, such as nicotine gums, patches and lozenges were only 34 percent more likely to do so. Moreover, those buying NRT from shops were no more likely to succeed than those trying to quit without any help at all.

Dr. Sarah Jackson, the lead author of the research, commented: “Stopping smoking reduces the risk of chronic diseases and increases quality of life and life expectancy. It is, therefore, important that every quit attempt has the best possible chance of success. Our study adds to the growing evidence that the use of e-cigarettes can help smokers to quit.”

Dr. Jamie Brown, coauthor of the study added that e-cigarettes appeared to be effective for smokers regardless of their social background. “Smoking is one of the biggest contributors to health inequality between rich and poor and the growth in e-cigarette use may ultimately start to reduce this gap,” he said.

The study was published last month in Addiction, the official journal of the Society for the Study of Addiction that has been presenting peer-reviewed research since 1884. To date, it registers one of the highest success rates between e-cigarettes and other smoking cessation aids.

There are over 16 million smokers in the Philippines, which has one of the highest incidences of smoking of any country in Asia Pacific. Ten people die every hour due to tobacco-related illnesses, while smoking costs the country economic and productivity losses of up to P270 million.

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