http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/category/nicotine.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512143356.htm http://tobacco.org/news/265254.html Asthma is associated with higher suicidal thoughts with attempted suicide, but does not seem to be linked with suicidal thoughts without attempts, according to a new report. Cigarette smoking and concurrent mental health conditions may independently account for significant proportions (but not all) of the association between asthma and suicidal thoughts with attempts noted Diana E. Clarke, MSc, PhD, The Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, Baltimore, and colleagues. There is growing evidence of relationships between respiratory diseases and suicidal behaviors, but investigators say this is the first study to examine the association between asthma and suicidal thinking with and without attempts using a nationally representative sample of adults. They also note it is the first study to investigate the potential role of cigarette use and nicotine dependence in the association of asthma and suicidal behavior. . . . Journal reference: * Clarke DE, Goodwin RD, Messias E, Eaton WW. Asthma and suicidal ideation with and without suicide attempts among adults in the United States: What is the role of cigarette smoking and mental disorders? Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2008;100:439-446. ScienceDaily Magazine editor@sciencedaily.com Tue, 13 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/13/health/13jarvik.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=smoking&st=nyt&oref=slogin http://tobacco.org/news/265223.html Murray Jarvik, a psychopharmacologist who was among the first to study the hallucinogenic drug LSD and whose later research on the physiology and psychology of smoking was instrumental in the development of the nicotine patch, died Thursday at his home in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 84. The cause was pulmonary edema from congestive heart failure, said his son Jeffrey. . . . "It is strange that people should go to such lengths to burn and then inhale some vegetable matter," Dr. Jarvik wrote in an introduction to a 1977 report for the National Institute on Drug Abuse, "Research on Smoking Behavior." "We must find out what is rewarding about it." New York Times Tue, 13 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jDdrigSu4_gRhO4T70Zhf5Ooeo_Q http://tobacco.org/news/265043.html A pioneer in the fight against tobacco and the co-inventor of the nicotine patch, Murray Jarvik, died this week of congestive heart failure, the University of California said Saturday. He was 84. Jarvik, a professor emeritus at University of California-Los Angeles, was a leader in the field of psychopharmacology, the study of the effect of drugs on human behavior. Born in New York in 1923, he was among the first to examine the effects of LSD on memory and addiction. Later in his career, he turned his attention to tobacco and was "instrumental in establishing the field of nicotine research," UCLA said. . . . "I would say that Murray's greatest impact was advancing the proposition that nicotine was the key addictive component in tobacco. In short, he was able to largely answer his question." Agence France Presse Sat, 10 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354602,00.html http://tobacco.org/news/265017.html The drug Chantix may be linked to suicidal thoughts and depression in some people, but the risk of smoking is far worse, according to some physicians. The health risks of smoking, including lung cancer, emphysema, stroke and heart attack, outweigh the known side effects of Chantix, said Dr. Marc Siegal, a FOX News Channel contributor. "I still think it's a first-line agent," Siegal, a board certified internist and clinical associate professor of medicine at New York University School of Medicine, told FOXNews.com. "It's absolutely the best thing we have out there to help people stop smoking." The U.S. Public Health Service released its quit-smoking guidelines this week. Fox News foxnewsonline@foxnews.com (Marrecca Fiore) Fri, 09 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.tobacco.org/resources/documents/970628hager.html http://tobacco.org/news/264980.html Q. Is it still your testimony, sir, that you have no recollection of any specific instances of dealing with Compound W? A. That's correct. Back in 1969 obviously it became a slang term, if you will, for some work we had done in the research department. This memorandum is dated almost three years later obviously in response to a direct question by Mr. Heimann. At least it appears to be that way. Q. What was your job on April 25th, 1972? A. I was the director of research and development. Q. You called Compound W a slang term at this point in time? What do you mean by that? A. A descriptive term. Q. Was it a reference to nicotine? A. I would assume so. Yes, sir. The memo certainly suggests that, but it is a theoretical --It's an answer to a theoretical question. How do you get higher nicotine? Well, you can add it. You can buy tobacco differently. You can do it lots of other ways. Through shuffling reconstituted, shuffling stems in the blend. It seemed to me like it was a very direct answer to a very direct question, a theoretical type of question. Q. Why was the president of American Tobacco interested in this question in 1972? A. He was trying to perform his function - He had dual function. He was involved very heavily with marketing, and he wanted to know why certain brands were performing better or worse than other competitive brands, and was it related to marketing and advertising or related to product? Product content. Q. Was it his view that nicotine content affected the popularity of brands? A. I doubt it. I don't know. I can't -- You have to ask him that. . . . Q. But you cannot, as you sit here today, testify that Compound W was not used in any American Tobacco commercial products, can you? A. I said to my knowledge it was never used. Q. But you admit that you don't have full knowledge. Do you? A. I wouldn't think I would have full knowledge about anything in this world. Q. And you're disclaiming knowledge specifically about Compound W, aren't you? A. No. I didn't -- I told you on the record what Iknew about Compound W. Others knew other things. Fine. Tobacco BBS Sat, 28 Jun 1997 04:00:00 GMT http://whyquit.com/pr/050508.html http://tobacco.org/news/264910.html It appears that pharmaceutical influence continues to own official U.S. smoking cessation policy. According to an advance agenda, the newest U.S. policy pronouncement will be unveiled Wednesday, May 7, at 9 a.m. in room 3C at AMA headquarters located at 515 North State Street, Chicago. The revision panel's controversial chairman, Dr. Michael C. Fiore, whose significant financial ties to the pharmaceutical quit smoking product industry made front-page ethics news in the Wall Street Journal on February 7, 2007, is scheduled to summarize "findings and recommendations" from the 2008 update of the U.S. Guideline for Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence. According to an advance summary, as in 2000, Dr. Fiore will reveal that it is the Guideline's recommendation that, with few exceptions, "clinicians should encourage" pharmaceutical quitting product "use by all patients attempting to quit smoking." While this cessation quitting method monopoly will generate billions in pharmaceutical industry profits, does it serve public health? Sadly, what should and could have been a national resource and treasure in helping teach physicians what is not taught in most medical schools, how to effectively counsel patient's to quit smoking, is instead little more than a glorified pharmaceutical quitting product guide and sales advertisement. . . . An advance copy of Wednesday's recommendations indicates that recommendations 3, 6 and 7 will combine to continue to effectively destroy the legitimacy and prevent government backing of any and all non-pharmacology quitting programs, programs relying upon education, counseling, skills development, motivation and/or support. While the May 2008 Guideline strongly encourages "counseling" it refuses to allow it unless accompanied by "medication." This is not a question of scientific study evidence. It is a question of policy, policy gone astray. . . . Wednesday is a golden opportunity for health journalists to at last ask the tough questions. But will they? With roughly 40% of U.S. smokers making a serious quitting attempt during 2008, with the latest cure - Chantix - asking smokers to assume risk of death, with decline in the U.S. smoking rate having ground to a halt, those addicted to smoking nicotine deserve answers. But will they get them? Below are a few questions deserving of answers: whyquit.com john@whyquit.com (John R. Polito, Editor WhyQuit) Mon, 05 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/05-07-2008/0004808532&EDATE= http://tobacco.org/news/264878.html Ruyan America, Inc., Minneapolis, announced today that its products won two of the six awards presented at the 2008 Tobacco Plus Expo held at the Las Vegas Convention Center April 24th and 25th. The Company's E-cigarette was named 2008 Most Innovative Product and its Ruyan Vegas E-cigar was named Most Marketable New Product of the Year. Both products are cigarette alternatives/smoking substitutes that allow users to satisfy their cravings for nicotine in places and situations where they otherwise cannot smoke. The Ruyan E-cigarette and the Ruyan Vegas E-cigar use ultrasonic atomization technology to create nicotine infused water vapor that users draw as if it were smoke. Additionally, the products allow users to effectively simulate the physiological and psychological attributes of smoking without creating any harmful second hand smoke. Donald J. Bores, Chairman of Tobacco Outlet Business magazine, one of the Expo's sponsors, stated, "The Ruyan products represent a great opportunity for tobacco retailers to expand their product offerings, provide their customers with convenient smoking alternatives and allow them to choose when and where they are able to satisfy their desire to smoke PR Newswire billb@ruyanamerica.com (SOURCE Ruyan America, Inc.) Wed, 07 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/05-07-2008/0004808534&EDATE= http://tobacco.org/news/264877.html Ruyan America, Inc., Minneapolis, announced today that it will be previewing its award-winning and ground-breaking smoking substitutes on Thursday, May 22, 2008, at Neisen's Sports Bar and Grill, 4851 West 123rd Street, Savage, Minn., from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. The preview will feature the Ruyan Vegas E-cigar, recently awarded the honor as Most Marketable New Product at the 2008 Tobacco Plus Expo held in Las Vegas on April 24th and 25th, 2008. Ruyan will also have its E-cigarette available that night; the Ruyan E-cigarette was given the 2008 Most Innovative Product award at the same Las Vegas Expo. Products will be available for sampling and for sale. The Ruyan Vegas looks and feels like a premium cigar, five and one-half inches in length with a circumference of approximately 50 ring size. The Ruyan Vegas uses a microchip, airflow sensor, ultrasonic atomizer and nicotine-infused cartridges to produce a vapor that provides its user with the experience of smoking, without producing dangerous second hand smoke and without endangering the health of associates or bystanders. The Ruyan Vegas has approximately 1800 mouthfuls of vapor, nearly the equivalent vapor to the mouthfuls of smoke produced in a carton of conventional cigarettes, and is meant to be disposed after it ceases to produce vapor. Smokers who use it to replace all of their smoking activity report it lasts as long as a carton of cigarettes PR Newswire billb@ruyanamerica.com (SOURCE Ruyan America, Inc.) Wed, 07 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/05-05-2008/0004806319&EDATE= http://tobacco.org/news/264785.html Vaccines don't just keep children healthy, they also lead to more productive adult workers who can earn higher wages and save more money, according to Dr. David E. Bloom, a labor economist at the Harvard School of Public Health. Bloom, who has studied the economic impact of vaccination in developing countries, will be the keynote speaker at the 11th Annual Conference on Vaccine Research sponsored by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID). The conference will be held May 5-7 at Baltimore's Marriott Waterfront Hotel. . . . Among the novel vaccines to be discussed at the conference is one aimed at curbing addiction to nicotine. Scientists from Nabi Biopharmaceuticals of Rockville, MD will report data showing that their experimental vaccine, NicVAX, induces antibodies that prevent nicotine from reaching the brain. In human trials, 24 percent of 61 people who smoked more than 20 cigarettes a day quit smoking for up to one year following vaccination. Others who continued smoking after vaccination smoked significantly less than they had before. The company is now analyzing results from its Phase IIB trial and plans to start a Phase III trial by the end of 2008. PR Newswire Mon, 05 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2008/may/06/targacept-gets-glaxo-payment/?business http://tobacco.org/news/264680.html Targacept Inc. said yesterday that it has received the second payment from its partnership with GlaxoSmithKline PLC for progress made in its smoking-cessation program. Targacept, based in Winston-Salem, is developing drugs based on nicotine research that will treat diseases of the central nervous system. The company was spun out from R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. in 2000. The company said that the latest $500,000 payment was awarded for the designation of a lead compound for a smoking-cessation program. Targacept said that these compounds "have the potential to decrease the rewarding effects of nicotine and, as a result, the desire to smoke." Targacept entered into an agreement with GlaxoSmithKline last July to develop drugs for treating five central-nervous-system disorders. Winston-Salem Journal rcraver@wsjournal.com (Richard Craver * Journal Reporter) Tue, 06 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080505005558&newsLang=en http://tobacco.org/news/264679.html Targacept, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRGT), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of drugs known as NNR Therapeutics (TM), today announced the designation of a lead compound in its smoking cessation program, triggering a $500,000 milestone payment under its alliance agreement with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). "We are delighted to have successfully leveraged our expertise in NNRs to bring forward a novel compound for smoking cessation, an area that is not only a major healthcare need but also where application of the NNR mechanism has been validated commercially," said J. Donald deBethizy, President and CEO of Targacept. "Emerging science has made the promise of NNR-targeted compounds as smoking cessation aids increasingly evident. It is important for a smoking cessation aid to specifically target the areas of the brain that serve as pathways for addiction, while addressing limitations of currently available products by minimizing unwanted side effects." Business Wire alan.musso@targacept.com Mon, 05 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/apwire/341d3e6228dced6f5b119dcc510f67e6.htm http://tobacco.org/news/264655.html Biopharmaceutical company Targacept Inc. said Monday it designated a lead compound in its smoking cessation program triggering $500,000 milestone payment from British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline Ltd. Targacept is working to develop a new class of drugs known as neuronal nicotinic receptors (NNRs), a class of proteins in the nervous system that modulate the levels of key chemical messengers, such as dopamine, that are linked to nicotine's addictive effects. In July 2007, Targacept and GlaxoSmithKline entered into a strategic alliance in which Targacept agreed to discover novel small molecule product candidates that target specified NNRs in five areas -- pain, smoking cessation, addiction, obesity and Parkinsons disease. AP Mon, 05 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/stories/2008/05/05/daily1.html http://tobacco.org/news/264654.html Targacept has announced a leading compound in its effort to develop a smoking-cessation treatment program, the company has announced. The milestone for the Winston-Salem-based biotech, which was spun out of research into how nicotine interacts with the brain begun by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., triggers a $500,000 payment from Targacept's development partner GlaxoSmithKline. Targacept said in an announcement that the focus of its anti-smoking efforts is on counteracting the addictive nature of nicotine by manipulating "neuronal nicotinic receptors" or NNRs, which are proteins in the nervous system that control the levels of key chemical messengers. Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area Mon, 05 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.lucknowsentinel.com/News/396882.html http://tobacco.org/news/264372.html An attempt to get a 'buzz on' sent three Ripley Huron Community School students to the hospital. Principal Bill Colley said about two weeks ago, a senior student "foolishly" brought a pack of anti-smoking gum to school and shared it with her friends. "They ate a bunch of it and three students got very ill," said Colley. "We followed procedure and called the Poison Control Centre, who suggested we take the students to the hospital immediately." He said the doctors were concerned with the students' blood pressure and heart rates because of the toxins in the gum. The concern began when one student started vomiting, followed by two others. Lucknow Sentinel Canada Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.1010wins.com/NYC-s-Free-Assistance-to-Quit-Smoking-Ending/2092176 http://tobacco.org/news/264279.html The clock is ticking for New Yorkers who want to take advantage of the city's free nicotine patch and gum giveaway. With the giveaway ending Thursday, May 1, the Health Department is urging those looking to quit smoking to call 311 for help. The Health Depatment says about 15,00 New Yorkers have enrolled in the free program and about 60% of callers have said they heard about the program through the Health Department's new anti-tobacco ads. 1010 WINS Tue, 29 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT