October 9, 2017
The paper, “Potential deaths averted in USA by replacing cigarettes with e-cigarettes” by David Levy et al. published in Tobacco Control on October 2, 2017, attracted a moderate amount of attention with its conclusion that “Compared with the Status Quo, replacement of cigarette by e-cigarette use over a 10-year period yields 6.6 million fewer premature deaths with 86.7 million fewer life years lost in the Optimistic Scenario. … Our projections show that a strategy of replacing cigarette smoking with vaping would yield substantial life year gains, …”
This is a pretty impressive result until you consider that the Optimistic Scenario is based on a series of assumptions that are of which are inconsistent with empirical evidence to date:
October 7, 2017
The Cancer Letter just published several related stories about the fact that former ACS CEO John Seffrin enforsed PMI's new "Foundation for a Smoke-Free World" run by Derek Yach that is a transparent attempt to help promote PMI's iQOS "heat not burn" product as well as split the health community..
I, like just about everyone else I know, am still in a state of shock that John did this and declined to talk with Cancer Letter about this situation because back in 1998 John, against some opposition inside ACS, took the lead in pushing back against an effort in Congress on behalf of the tobacco companies to block NIH funding of my research. John is the only credible figure to have endorsed PMI's effort and I am still hoping that he will realize that this is a mistake that undermines a lifetime of good work.
You can read the Cancer Letter stories here:
Former American Cancer Society CEO John Seffrin endorses cancer research venture funded by Philip Morris
October 6, 2017
Andreas Lappas and colleagues just published “Short-term respiratory effects of e-cigarettes in healthy individuals and smokers with asthma,” which shows that when smokers use an e-cigarette, it worsens lung function, with bigger effects in smokers who already have asthma.
This is an important finding because it indicates that dual use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes, by far the most common use pattern, is worse than smoking alone.
Here is the abstract:
Background and objective: This study investigated the duration of immediate respiratory effects of e-cigarette smoking (ECS) and tested the hypothesis that ECS has more prominent effects in asthmatics compared with healthy smokers (HS).
Methods; Fifty-four smokers, 27 healthy (HS group) and 27 with intermittent asthma (mild asthma (MA) group) underwent a control session (no liquid, no resistor coil inside e-cigarette cartridge) and an experimental session of ECS using standardized puffing settings. Impulse oscillometry impedance (Z), resistance (R), reactance (X) and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) were measured before and 0, 15 and 30 min after control and experimental sessions.
October 2, 2017
This comment was submitted to Regulations.gov on October 2, 2017; the tracking number is 1k1-8yzw-s3z7. A PDF version of the letter is available here.
I urge other organzations, whether they are planning comments or not, to submit similar letters.
October 2, 2017
Mr. Mitchell Zeller
Director, Center for Tobacco Products
Food and Drug Administration
10903 New Hampshire Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20993
Re: 82 FR 27487, Docket no. FDA-2017-D-3001 for Modified Risk Tobacco Product Applications: Applications for IQOS System With Marlboro Heatsticks, IQOS System With Marlboro Smooth Menthol Heatsticks, and IQOS System With Marlboro Fresh Menthol Heatsticks Submitted by Philip Morris Products S.A.; Availability
Dear Mr. Zeller:
September 29, 2017
Rebecca J. Schweitzer and colleagues just published “E-cigarette use and asthma in a multiethnic sample of adolescents” in Preventive Medicine. This paper adds to the growing case that e-cigarettes have adverse effects on lung health and health in general. The odds of having asthma are increased by about 50% among adolescents who are using e-cigarettes, controlling for cigarette smoking and other risk factors. The fact that there was an increased risk even among current smokers adds to the case that e-cigarettes have their own risk profile on top of cigarettes.
The effects are larger among Blacks, Native Hawaiians, other Pacific Islanders, and Filipinos than Caucasians and Asians.
Here is the abstract: