Cytisinicline Beneficial for Cessation of Electronic Cigarette Smoking

Significantly more patients receiving cytisinicline versus placebo had continuous e-cigarette abstinence at the end of treatment

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, May 13, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Cytisinicline for 12 weeks with behavioral support is efficacious for cessation of electronic cigarette smoking, according to a study published online May 6 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Nancy A. Rigotti, M.D., from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and colleagues examined the efficacy and safety of cytisinicline versus placebo for abstinence from e-cigarette use in a double-blind, randomized clinical trial. One hundred sixty adults who vaped nicotine daily, sought to quit, and did not currently smoke cigarettes were enrolled; 81.9 percent completed the trial. Participants were randomly assigned to cytisinicline 3 mg, three times daily, or placebo for 12 weeks (107 and 53 participants, respectively). All participants also received weekly behavioral support.

The researchers found that continuous e-cigarette abstinence occurred in 31.8 versus 15.1 percent of participants in the cytisinicline and placebo groups, respectively, at the end of treatment (weeks 9 to 12; odds ratio, 2.64; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.06 to 7.10; P = 0.04). During weeks 9 to 16, continuous e-cigarette abstinence occurred in 23.4 and 13.2 percent, respectively (odds ratio, 2.00; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.82 to 5.32; P = 0.15). Based on nonsignificant interactions, there was no evidence that cytisinicline efficacy differed in subgroups defined by demographic characteristics, vaping pattern, e-cigarette dependence, or smoking history. Cytisinicline was well tolerated; only 3.8 percent of participants discontinued treatment due to an adverse event.

“For individuals seeking to quit vaping, cytisinicline might fill the existing gap in pharmacologic treatments and enhance the emerging evidence of efficacy of behavioral treatments for vaping cessation,” the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to industry, including law firms in litigation against tobacco companies.

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