Evaluating New Nicotine Standards for Cigarettes - Renewal

Principal Investigators: Eric C. Donny and Dorothy K. Hatsukami

Funding Mechanism: National Institutes of Health - Grant

ID number: 2U54DA031659-06

Award Date: 2/28/2017

Institution: University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh

This research study will examine the impact of reducing nicotine in cigarettes in the context of alternative tobacco product availability. The study includes three projects. Project 1 is a 12-week clinical trial that examines the use of very low nicotine content (VLNC) vs. normal nicotine content (NNC) cigarettes when 700 adult smokers are given vouchers to exchange for cigarettes in an experimental marketplace that contains a wide range of non-combusted products. Project 2 is a seven-week clinical trial comparing VLNC and NNC cigarettes when 480 adult smokers have access to e-cigarettes that vary in nicotine concentration (high vs. low) and available flavors (tobacco only vs. tobacco and other flavors). Project 3 is a laboratory-based study that will assess the choice to smoke, vape, or abstain when 120 adolescent smokers (ages 18-24 are provided cigarettes with VLNC vs. NNC and e-cigarettes that vary in nicotine concentrations and flavors. Other study activities will include the analysis of biomarkers associated with exposure to nicotine and tobacco-related toxicants and the development of novel ways to analyze data.