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Assessment of Exposure to Secondhand Smoke at Outdoor Bars and Family Restaurants in Athens, Georgia, Using Salivary Cotinine  

Nonsmokers outside restaurants and bars in Athens, Georgia, have significantly elevated salivary cotinine levels indicative of secondhand smoke exposure.

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Legislator wants to ban nicotine candy  

A northern Utah lawmaker wants the state to do away with nicotine candy that he says poses a danger to children.

Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, plans to introduce a bill in the upcoming legislative session that would "outright ban" the nicotine candy.

"It's on the shelf now," Ray said. "We're going to take it off the shelf. We're basically making the comment that it's just not welcome in Utah. Go somewhere else and kill their residents but we're going to draw the line here."

Ray said the candies -- which differ from approved smoking-cessation products -- are designed to look like candy or gum and are attractive to children. Ray's own 7-year-old daughter saw some advertised and asked for some, which frightened him because just a few of the candy tablets can kill a young child.

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A new study compares smoking cessation therapies  

If you're trying to quit smoking, what's the best approach? A new study from the University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention compared six therapies to determine what was most effective. . . .

Dr. Aldo Alamo with Lewis-Gale Physicians said most people who are nicotine addicted will need some kind of help.

The most recent study tested six therapies on 15-hundred adults, who smoked at least 10 cigarettes a day. They also received counseling sessions.

Six months later, the most effective treatment turned out to be the nicotine patch and lozenge combination.

Here is a breakdown of the percentage of people still smoke-free six months out.

Placebo 22.2%

Bupropion 31.8%

Bupropion + lozenge 33.2%

Nicotine Lozenge 33.5%

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• Contents: Volume 11, Number 11, November 2009 

Buying Cigarettes and Quit-Smoking Aids From the Same Company?  

Why would a cigarette company buy a firm that makes products to help smokers quit?

It's a question that's left many scratching their heads ever since reports surfaced that Reynolds American -- the no. 2 U.S. tobacco company and the maker of Camel, Kool and Winston cigarettes, among others -- is in talks to acquire Niconovum.

Niconovum, a Swedish company, makes nicotine gum and other nicotine replacement products designed to wean smokers off of cigarettes. It was founded in 2000 by Karl Olov Fagerström, who the company's Web site trumpets as "one of the world's leading experts on smoking cessation and nicotine dependence."

Purchasing the company "runs totally counter to the mission statement of (Reynolds American subsidiary) R.J. Reynolds," said Gregory Connolly, a Harvard School of Public Health professor who researches tobacco products. "I'm astounded."

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• Reynolds' pursuit of a company that promotes smoking cessation raises marketing question 

Trying to buy a company that specializes in products that help people quit smoking may seem like a radical change for Reynolds American Inc.

But analysts said yesterday that it all depends on how Reynolds would potentially use and market cigarette-replacement products in gum, pouch and spray form made by that company, Niconovum AB.

Media reports have said that Reynolds is close to buying Niconovum, of Helsingborg, Sweden, for $44.5 million. The reports are based on comments by David Sweanor, a law professor at the University of Ottawa and a tobacco analyst. Sweanor could not be reached for comment.

Reynolds said it is against its policy to comment on speculation. Niconovum officials could not be reached for comment. . . .

Niconovum was formed in 2000 by Karl Olov Fagerström, who is considered a leading expert on smoking cessation and nicotine dependence. It is managed by many of the individuals who were pivotal in the development of Nicorette, a nicotine-replacement gum.

Although some analysts view Niconovum's products as primarily smoking cessation, the company says on its Web site that it "believes that there is a market for a range of nicotine-replacement therapy products that will deliver nicotine more quickly and effectively than those currently available, thereby giving the consumer a perceived better control of cravings."

The evolution of some health-advocacy groups from anti-smoking to anti-tobacco is ratcheting up the moralistic aspect of buying and consuming a legal product.

Bill Godshall, the executive director of SmokeFree Pennsylvania, said he believes that smokers and public health could benefit if Reynolds buys Niconovum or its patents.

"Its smoke-free nicotine products are 99.9 percent less hazardous alternatives to cigarettes, pose no risks to nonusers, and appear to be more smoker friendly than similar products marketed as smoking cessation aids,'' Godshall said.

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• Will Cigarette Maker Reynolds Try Kicking the Habit?  

It would be either one of the most cynical diversifications ever--or a brilliant stroke of synergy.

If a report in The Wall Street Journal is correct, America's second-largest seller of cigarettes may soon be peddling products that help people quit smoking. The Journal reported on Nov. 9 that Reynolds American (RAI), the distributor of Pall Mall, Camel, and Natural American Spirit cigarette brands as well as smokeless tobacco, is in "advanced talks" with Niconovum, a Swedish manufacturer of nicotine replacement products such as gum and mouth spray. University of Ottawa law professor David Sweanor told the Journal he was briefed by people close to the deal.

The move would mark the first time that a big tobacco company also sold smoking-cessation products, according to industry analysts. But it would be in line with the industry's efforts to diversify as cigarette purchases shrink in the U.S. One analyst referred to a purchase of Niconovum as a "cheap hedge" against the smoking decline. . . .

But as Morningstar's Gorham points out, Reynolds can make far more money convincing people to smoke than helping them quit. The cost per unit to produce cigarettes is extremely low—operating margins average 25%-30% industrywide, he says, which is high for consumer goods. (Pepsi (PEP), by comparison, which enjoys enormous scale and volume operating margins, reaches into the high teens, according to Gorham.)

It's unlikely that returns from smoking-cessation products can compete with that anytime soon. "I think we're talking 20 years-plus at this point before tobacco sales are offset by other sources," says Gorham.

Indeed, some view any talks between Reynolds and Niconovum as more of a publicity stunt, designed to place Reynolds in a better light.

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• Down to the last cigarette - and beyond  

Like a fast-food chain selling diet supplements or a gasoline company building electric cars, a major tobacco company is eyeing a surprising business: Helping the smokers who buy their products kick the habit.

Reynolds American Inc. , which sells the Camel and Pall Mall brands of cigarettes, is in talks to buy a Swedish company that makes nicotine gum and mouth spray designed to help people quit smoking by reducing their cigarette cravings, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

Reynolds could buy Niconovum AB for roughly $44.5-million (U.S.), according to University of Ottawa law professor and tobacco expert David Sweanor, who said he had spoken with someone close to the deal. A spokesperson for Reynolds declined to comment.

The deal would also mark a shift for cigarette companies, many of which embraced diversification decades ago but have changed course in recent years. . . .

The acquisition of Niconovum would give Reynolds another cigarette alternative.

In addition to the gum and mouth spray, the Swedish company also makes a Snus-like product called the Zonnic pouch, which has nicotine but no tobacco. Many countries in the European Union as well as Australia and New Zealand, ban oral tobacco, Prof. Sweanor said. The pouch could give Reynolds a way around those regulations.

"I think this may be a very profitable business. They're catering to the same crowd, essentially," said Indiana University's Prof. Beneish, who was a smoker for 30 years. "They have a captive audience. Trust me."

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The Impact of Repeated Cycles of Pharmacotherapy on Smoking Cessation: A Longitudinal Cohort Study 

Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Smoking cessation pharmacotherapy can double quit rates.1 However, smokers often fail after a single quit attempt, and quitting smoking often involves multiple quit attempts over the course of months or years.2-5 Few studies have tested the impact of providing repeated courses of pharmacotherapy to help smokers recover from relapses and engage in new cessation attempts.6-11 As part of a study of chronic disease management for smoking cessation, we followed a cohort of smokers that was offered up to 4 courses of pharmacotherapy over 2 years. We examined their continued interest in using pharmacotherapy and the effect of that treatment.

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Use of Pharmacotherapy for Smoking Cessation in Italy 

In a cluster-randomized smoking cessation trial conducted in Germany on 577 smokers, cost-free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) or bupropion hydrochloride reduced smoking-related morbidity at low cost.1 This adds to the accumulated evidence that NRT, bupropion, and varenicline tartrate significantly increase cessation rate and are generally well tolerated by smokers.2-3

Using data from 6 population-based surveys conducted in Italy between 2002 and 2007, we showed that pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation was used by less than 10% of smokers who had made at least 1 quit attempt.4 We provide herein updated information on the issue.

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Reynolds Said to Be in Talks With Nicotine Gum Maker (Update2) 

Reynolds American Inc., the second- largest U.S. tobacco company, is in talks to buy a Swedish maker of nicotine gum and mouth sprays to broaden its offerings beyond cigarettes, a person with knowledge of the discussions said.

Reynolds, which makes Camel cigarettes and Grizzly snuff, wants to acquire closely held Niconovum AB as a way to reach consumers trying to stop smoking, said the person, who declined to be identified because the negotiations are private.

Buying Niconovum would advance Reynolds Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Susan Ivey’s push into nicotine products less harmful than cigarettes. The company is testing dissolvable tobacco tablets in the U.S. after introducing Swedish-style Camel snus earlier this year, Ivey told analysts Oct. 22. It bought snuff maker Conwood in 2006.

“It is one indication of the changing nature of the nicotine business,”

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• Reynolds in Talks to Buy Sweden's Niconovum  

Tobacco giant Reynolds American Inc. is in advanced talks to buy a Swedish maker of products that help people stop smoking, a move that could signal a profound shift in direction in the global tobacco industry.

Reynolds, the second-largest U.S. cigarette maker by sales, is near a deal to buy closely held Niconovum AB, according to David Sweanor, a Canadian law professor and tobacco expert who says he was briefed by people close to the deal.

Niconovum, based in Helsingborg, makes nicotine-replacement therapies such as Zonnic pouch and Zonnic gum. The company, whose products aren't currently sold in the U.S., was formed in 2000 by Karl Olov Fagerstrom, a leading expert in nicotine dependence who has been involved in such products as Nicorette gum.

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Debate on public health - Our opinion: E-cigarettes pose risks  

All the public has to go on now is the word of the product's marketers. Before consumers inhale something that gives them "vapes" of highly addictive nicotine, they might want an independent authority testing the product to see what's in it.

But soon after the Food and Drug Administration tried to assert its authority over e-cigarettes by detaining some shipments at the border, two distributors sued, claiming that the FDA has no power to regulate the product as a drug-delivery device.

While both sides await a federal judge's ruling, e-cigarettes are on the market (kits with the e-cigarette and nicotine cartridges generally sell for $70 to $150). And contrary to the old adage, what you don't know can hurt you. Among the reasons to be wary:

— Most e-cigarettes are made in China . . .

— Despite protests from the Electronic Cigarette Association that its members don't make claims about helping smokers quit, plenty of sellers make far more outrageous health claims. In recent weeks, one marketer claimed e-cigarettes reduce the risk of heart disease and touted an endorsement by a physician-and-nurses group. Another website, which says it reviews e-cigarettes, went them one better: It claims, based on a 1942 study, that an ingredient in e-cigarettes could prevent flu and other respiratory diseases.

It is conceivable e-cigarettes might be a valuable tool for weaning some smokers away from a deadly habit. But without the testing and clinical trials opposed by marketers and their allies, no one will ever know.

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NRT Smoking Cessation Aids in the US - Chantix Sales Declined by 30% in the US in 2008  

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/dbf721/nrt_smoking_cessat) has announced the addition of the "NRT Smoking Cessation Aids in the US" report to their offering.

NRT smoking cessation value declined for the second year in a row in 2008, although the drop was less dramatic than that of 2007. Declines in 2007 were driven by the huge popularity of Chantix, an Rx remedy launched by Pfizer in 2006, and the growing strength of private label smoking cessation products, most notably private label NRT lozenges, which were approved in 2006. Private label products continued to hamper value growth in 2008, as consumers looking to quit smoking opted for cheaper alternatives. However, the impact of Chantix on the OTC NRT sector was negligible, as Chantix sales actually declined by 30% in the US in 2008.

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Abstract: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial of 5 Smoking Cessation Pharmacotherapies 

Results All pharmacotherapies differed from placebo when examined without protection for multiple comparisons (odds ratios, 1.63-2.34). With such protection, only the nicotine patch plus nicotine lozenge (odds ratio, 2.34, P < .001) produced significantly higher abstinence rates at 6-month postquit than did placebo.

Conclusion While the nicotine lozenge, bupropion, and bupropion plus lozenge produced effects that were comparable with those reported in previous research, the nicotine patch plus lozenge produced the greatest benefit relative to placebo for smoking cessation.

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