Smoking cessation · E-cigarettes for cessation
A Randomized Trial of E-Cigarettes versus Nicotine-Replacement Therapy
| Design | Randomised controlled trial |
|---|---|
| Treatment | E-cigarette starter pack with behavioural support |
| Control | Nicotine replacement therapy of the participant's choice with behavioural support |
| Population | 886 adults attending UK stop-smoking services |
| Follow-up | 52 weeks |
| Primary endpoint | Biochemically validated sustained abstinence at 1 year |
| Result | One-year abstinence 18.0% with e-cigarettes versus 9.9% with nicotine replacement — relative risk 1.83 (95% CI 1.30 to 2.58, p<0.001). Among those abstinent at one year, e-cigarette users were more likely still to be using their assigned product at 52 weeks. |
| Secondary endpoints | Continued product use, respiratory symptoms, adverse events |
E-cigarettes were more effective for smoking cessation than nicotine-replacement therapy, when both products were accompanied by behavioral support.
The trial authors, in the published abstract
The strongest randomised evidence that e-cigarettes help people stop smoking, and the finding most often quoted without its companion: most successful quitters were still vaping at a year. Whether that is a durable harm-reduction success or substitution of one dependence for another is the unresolved question, and this trial cannot answer it.
Hajek P, Phillips-Waller A, Przulj D, et al. A Randomized Trial of E-Cigarettes versus Nicotine-Replacement Therapy. N Engl J Med 2019 Feb 14;380(7):629-637.