Impact of Very Low Nicotine Content Cigarettes in a Complex Marketplace

July 24, 2024 updated by: University of Minnesota

Impact of Very Low Nicotine Content Cigarettes in a Complex Marketplace Part of "Evaluating New Nicotine Standards for Cigarettes"

This project will examine the impact of very low nicotine content (VLNC) cigarettes in a complex tobacco and nicotine product marketplace. We will compare the number of cigarettes smoked and cigarette-free days in an experimental marketplace that contains VLNC cigarettes versus normal nicotine content (NNC) cigarettes.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This randomized, open label, controlled, multi-site study will simulate a "real world" tobacco environment by providing participants access to an experimental marketplace where they will be given vouchers for a specified number of points that can be exchanged for study cigarettes (varying in nicotine content described below) and non-combusted tobacco/nicotine products (smokeless tobacco, snus, electronic cigarette, medicinal nicotine replacement) and at the end of the study can exchange unspent points for money.

Subjects (N=200 in each group) will be randomly assigned to: 1) very low nicotine content cigarettes (VLNC; 0.4 mg nicotine/g tobacco) along with non-combusted tobacco/nicotine products or 2) normal nicotine content cigarettes (NNC; 15.8 mg nicotine/g tobacco) along with non-combusted tobacco/nicotine products.

Smokers will undergo an orientation visit for screening and then enter a three phase experimental trial:

  1. Phase 1 - Baseline: Two week baseline assessment period during usual brand cigarette smoking.
  2. Phase 2 - Marketplace Adaptation: Two week period where subjects have access to the marketplace that provides their preferred usual brand cigarettes and selected non-combusted tobacco products to allow the subject to adjust to the marketplace prior to randomization;
  3. Phase 3 - Intervention: Randomization to a marketplace with access to either VLNC or NNC cigarettes plus non-combusted products for a 12 week period.

Biomarker samples are collected at baseline, end of Phase 2 and end of week Phase 3 (week 12).

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

799

Phase

  • Phase 3

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

    • California
      • San Francisco, California, United States, 94110
        • Tobacco Research Center
    • Minnesota
      • Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, 55414
        • Tobacco Research Programs
    • North Carolina
      • Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27705
        • The Center for Addiction Science and Technology
      • Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States, 27175
        • Wake Forest Tobacco Control Center of Excellence
    • Pennsylvania
      • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104
        • Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Nicotine Addiction
    • Rhode Island
      • Providence, Rhode Island, United States, 02912
        • Brown University Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies School of Public Health

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

Ages Eligible for Study

21 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Male or female;
  2. 18/21 (legal age to purchase tobacco at site);
  3. Biochemically confirmed smoker.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Unstable health condition;
  2. Unstable medications;
  3. Pregnant or nursing.

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: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Very Low Nicotine Content Cigarettes
Very Low Nicotine Content Cigarettes (0.4 mg nicotine/g tobacco; 9 mg of tar): Median nicotine content, averaged across menthol and non-menthol cigarettes:
0.4 mg nicotine/g tobacco; 9 mg tar
Other Names:
  • Reduced Nicotine Content Cigarettes
Active Comparator: Normal Nicotine Content Cigarettes
Normal (Conventional) Nicotine Content (15.8 mg nicotine/g tobacco; 9 mg of tar): Median nicotine content, averaged across menthol and non-menthol cigarettes
15.8 mg nicotine/g tobacco; 9 mg tar
Other Names:
  • Conventional Nicotine Content Cigarettes

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Cigarettes Per Day (CPD)
Time Frame: 7 days prior to week 12 visit
The mean cigarettes (study and non-study cigarettes) smoked per day based on 7 days Daily Interactive Voice Response (IVR) data at the end of Phase 3 (experimental marketplace with study cigarettes) compared to Phase 2 (experimental marketplace with usual brand cigarettes).
7 days prior to week 12 visit
Number of Smoke-free Days
Time Frame: day 1 of study until day before week 12 visit

Rate of smoke-free days, defined as no cigarettes smoked in the past 24 hours calculated as the proportion of smoke-free days out of the total number of days in Phase 3.

Number of smoke free days based on the interactive voice response (IVR)

day 1 of study until day before week 12 visit

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Study Cigarettes Per Day
Time Frame: 12 weeks (Phase 3) on study cigarettes
The mean study cigarettes smoked per day based on 7 days Daily Interactive Voice Response (IVR) data at the end of Phase 3 (experimental marketplace with study cigarettes) compared to Phase 2 (experimental marketplace with usual brand cigarettes).
12 weeks (Phase 3) on study cigarettes
Percent Change in 2-cyanoethyl-mercapturic Acid (CEMA)
Time Frame: The last visit in Phase 2 is the end of the baseline
Change in CEMA (biomarker for the mercapturic acid acrylonitrile) from end of Phase 2 (experimental marketplace with usual brand cigarettes) to end of Phase 3 (experimental marketplace with study cigarettes).
The last visit in Phase 2 is the end of the baseline
Seven Day Point-prevalence CO-verified Abstinence
Time Frame: 7 days before week 12 visit
Total cigarettes per day equal to 0 for all 7 days before the week 12 visit and carbon monoxide (CO) ≤ 6ppm at week 12.
7 days before week 12 visit

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Collaborators

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Dorothy Hatsukami, PhD, University of Minnesota

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)

June 1, 2018

Primary Completion (Actual)

September 30, 2022

Study Completion (Actual)

January 10, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 10, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 1, 2017

First Posted (Actual)

September 5, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 20, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 24, 2024

Last Verified

July 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2017NTLS107

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Intend to share findings from this research through publications and presentations. Institutions and individuals wishing to access any resources or data must contact the Principal Investigator (Hatsukami). Data will be available in two formats. One will be a summary of the data, with graphs and tables, posted as pdf files and as raw individual-level data for analysis. Data generated by this grant will be made to outside investigators, according to NIH Guidance. When data are shared, there will be no limits placed on how the data will be used. Users will agree, however, that the recipient must not transfer the data to other users and that the data are only to be used for research purposes. A record of transfer of data and a copy of the dataset that was distributed will be kept by University of Minnesota.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Data will not be available until primary and secondary papers are accepted for publication.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Persons requesting data must do so in writing, identifying their affiliation and how the data will be used. Upon review, access will be determined.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

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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