The AP-HP wants to test the effectiveness of the e-cigarette

Public Assistance – Hospitals of Paris launches a national study to evaluate the effectiveness of the electronic cigarette, with or without nicotine, as an aid to smoking cessation, compared to a drug, according to a statement published on October 30, 2018, launch day of the "No Tobacco Month".

Expected results 4 years after the start of the study

It is estimated that about 1.7 million "vapoteurs" in 2016 in France, but knowledge about the effectiveness of electronic cigarettes and their potential risks are missing, notes the AP-HP in its statement. The ECSMOKE study, funded by the health authorities, aims to recruit at least 650 smokers (at least 10 cigarettes a day) from 18 to 70 years to quit smoking. These participants will be supported in 12 hospital smoking clinics (Angers, Caen, Clamart, Clermont-Ferrand, La Rochelle, Lille Lyon, Nancy, Nimes, Paris, Poitiers, Villejuif) for 6 months. Tobacco specialists will provide a power-adjustable electronic cigarette with "blond tobacco" liquids with or without nicotine, varenicline tablets (a stop smoking drug) or a placebo version. Participants will be divided into three groups, one taking placebo tablets and nicotine-free vaping liquids, the second placebo and nicotine-containing fluids, and the last group of varenicline tablets with nicotine-free fluids. Smoking cessation should occur within 7 to 15 days after the start of the study, with follow-up for 6 months.

In addition to the effectiveness of vaping, the study will attempt to measure the badociated risks, especially in the over-45s, age at which the majority of smokers already have a health disorder related to smoking. The results are expected 4 years after the start of the study, and "could help determine if e-cigarettes can be listed as an approved weaning aid", says the AP-HP.

MONTH WITHOUT TOBACCO. If you wish to take part in the Month Without Tobacco operation in November 2018, register on the website Tobacco info service. It is possible to order free of charge the stop kit (containing a 30-day agenda, a savings wheel, an information leaflet offering various relaxation exercises, another describing the different methods of support – this kit is also distributed in pharmacies) , download the e-coaching application, join one of the 18 regional teams on Facebook, perform a dependency test and be accompanied by a tobacco expert.