Very-Low Nicotine Cigarettes and Non-Daily Smokers

October 5, 2018 updated by: Saul Shiffman

The Effect of Very-Low Nicotine Cigarettes on Smoking in Non-Daily Smokers

The purpose of this research study is to investigate the impact of different nicotine levels in cigarettes among non-daily smokers. This research may help inform the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on how best to regulate tobacco products in the future, with the goal of improving public health.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The overall goal of the study is to assess the effects of switching to Very-Low-Nicotine-Content cigarettes (VLNCCs) among non-daily, or intermittent smokers (ITS). This is a two-arm randomized study with an own-cigarette baseline control. After a 2-week baseline period smoking their own cigarettes, 455 ITS will be randomized (double-blind) for 10 weeks to smoke experimental cigarettes, either: (a) normal nicotine content cigarettes (NNCCs; 0.8 mg) or (b) VLNCCs (0.07 mg), each matched to menthol status of subjects' preferred brand. ITS are more likely to be African-American (AA) smokers; thus AA smokers will be oversampled (to one third of the total sample). Change in cigarette consumption is the primary end-point, and biomarkers of smoke exposure and measures of smoking intensity are also assessed.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
312

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Pennsylvania
      • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15213
        • Smoking Research Group, University of Pittsburgh

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • age 18 years or older, and smoking cigarettes for at least 3 years
  • smoking, on average, 4-27 days per month
  • smoking at current rate for at least the previous 3 months
  • willingness to try novel cigarettes

Exclusion Criteria:

  • active plans to quit or actively seeking smoking cessation treatment in the next 3 months
  • severe psychiatric disorders that may interfere with study procedures
  • current, regular (i.e., monthly or more) use of nicotine replacement or other tobacco products, by self-report
  • exclusive use of roll-your-own cigarettes (since the study uses manufactured cigarettes)
  • [for female participants] being pregnant or breastfeeding, or planning to become pregnant, by self-report
  • current use of medications such as Chantix (varenicline), Zyban, Wellbutrin, or bupropion for any purpose, including stopping smoking
  • occurrence of heart attack, stroke, or angina in the past 3 months

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Very low nicotine content cigarettes
Drug: Very low nicotine content cigarettes
0.07 mg nicotine delivery
Active Comparator: Normal nicotine content cigarettes
Drug: Normal nicotine content cigarettes
0.8 mg nicotine delivery

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Cigarette Consumption
Time Frame: Two-week pre-intervention baseline period compared to final two weeks of 10-week intervention period
Difference in mean daily cigarette consumption between initial two-week baseline period and final two weeks of experimental period, using imputed data
Two-week pre-intervention baseline period compared to final two weeks of 10-week intervention period

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Exposure Measure - Solanesol
Time Frame: Post-randomization time points at study weeks 4, 8, 12
The concentration of solanesol, a stable marker indicator of how much smoke has passed through the filter of a smoked cigarette to the smoker, will be assayed as a measure of smoking intensity. The filter of a cigarette butts smoked during the baseline period will be compared to those smoked during the experimental period.
Post-randomization time points at study weeks 4, 8, 12
Exposure Measure - Smoking Topography
Time Frame: Post-randomization study visits at study weeks 4, 8, 12
Difference between average puff volume per cigarette at laboratory smoking topography sessions at study weeks 4, 8, and 12 across all participants, comparing those assigned to the very-low-nicotine-content cigarette condition to those assigned to the normal-nicotine-content cigarette condition. Topography measures were averaged across all time points for each treatment group.
Post-randomization study visits at study weeks 4, 8, 12
Exposure Measure - Cotinine (Logged)
Time Frame: Post-randomization office visits weeks 2 (end of baseline period) and 12 (end of study)

Cotinine nicotine exposure measure, analyzed from urine samples taken at study office visits

The natural logarithm (ln) of the cotinine measures was used for analysis.

Difference in ln(cotinine) between baseline and end of study, from imputed data
Post-randomization office visits weeks 2 (end of baseline period) and 12 (end of study)
Exposure Measure - Cigarette Butt Weight
Time Frame: Entire length of study, through completion, up to 12 weeks
Mean mass smoked per cigarette (calculated as the starting cigarette weight minus returned butt weight) aggregated for all cigarettes smoked among participants assigned to the very-low-nicotine-content cigarette, compared to those assigned to the normal-nicotine-content cigarette condition.
Entire length of study, through completion, up to 12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Saul Shiffman

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Saul Shiffman, PhD, University of Pittsburgh, Department of Psychology

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 1, 2015

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
July 31, 2017

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
July 31, 2017

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 27, 2014

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 27, 2014

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 29, 2014

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
October 31, 2018

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 5, 2018

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
October 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 3P30CA047904-25S4 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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