A peer-reviewed study published last week in Harm Reduction Journal found that, after six months of JUUL product use, the proportion of smokers reporting 30-day abstinence from cigarette smoking had climbed from 47% at the three-months follow-up assessment to 54% at the six-months follow-up assessment among the respondent sample (i.e. the participants who provided valid data on cigarette smoking at the follow-up assessments).
A previous peer-reviewed study published in March reported that after three months, nearly half of the participants who smoked combustible cigarettes at the start of the study and completed the three-months follow-up assessment had successfully abstained from cigarette smoking for the prior 30 days after purchasing a JUUL starter kit.
Enrolled sample: the pool of all participants that enrolled in the study at its starting point. The lower percentage numbers represent researchers’ conservative assumption that participants who dropped out of the study or did not respond to the question at one or both of the assessment points, “In the past 30 days, have you smoked a cigarette, even one or two puffs?”, were not abstinent.
Respondent sample: the pool of participants in the study who provided valid data on cigarette smoking at the three-month and six-month follow-up assessment points.
As we continue to work to provide adult smokers an alternative to cigarettes, JUUL Labs is committed to conducting and supporting durably-designed preclinical, clinical, and behavioral research examining the potential public health impact of our products. Our behavioral research program has enrolled over 70,000 participants around the world to date, with the aim of evaluating how adult smokers interact with JUUL products and which attributes impact the odds of transitioning from cigarettes to a nicotine alternative.
This research program is the backbone of what we do at JUUL Labs. We understand that it takes time to observe the real-world impact of our products, which is why we’ve set up multiple extensive, ongoing longitudinal studies that ask tens of thousands of eligible adult participants about their use of JUUL products and combustible cigarettes. We intend to conduct future follow-up assessments in this study for up to 18 months.
Observing how participants change their behaviors over time gives us valuable insight into the role our product plays in moving adult smokers away from combustible cigarettes. With this information, we can learn what factors drive higher abstinence rates and minimize cigarette consumption among adult smokers.
This 7% increase in prior 30-day cigarette abstinence rate — between the subset of participants who completed the follow-up assessments at the three and six-month mark — is unprecedented and incredibly promising. Evaluating the potential impact of a product like JUUL on adult smokers will take time and patience, much like an adult smoker’s transition from cigarettes to an alternative. The results from this study show us that prolonged access to and use of JUUL products over time could result in a higher likelihood of refraining from smoking cigarettes.
The study found that participants who primarily used non-tobacco flavors were more likely to have not smoked a cigarette in the 30 days prior to the six-months follow-up assessment. For example, compared to those who primarily used tobacco-flavors, odds of reporting prior 30-day cigarette abstinence were 46% and 40% greater among primary users of Mint and Mango flavors, respectively.
We’re incredibly encouraged by these collective findings and the potential public health impact they present. Imagine the impact these numbers represent in the context of the world’s one billion adult smokers. Imagine if over half of those adult smokers moved away from combustible cigarettes to a nicotine alternative. That’s what we’re working towards at JUUL Labs.
We look forward to growing our current body of scientific evidence with more preclinical, clinical, and behavioral research. Longitudinal studies like this give us valuable insight into how adult smokers are using our products in the real world, and the results we’ve seen so far may reflect the potential that our product can help adult smokers move away from combustible cigarettes over time.
We will continue to ask the right and relevant questions and present our findings with transparency.
March 17, 2023
In a new white paper entitled “The Real-World Impact of ENDS for Adult Smokers: Tobacco Harm Reduction Through Real-World Data and Evidence,” Juul Labs has reviewed and compiled the latest science and evidence demonstrating the positive real-world impact of ENDS products for adult smokers.
March 17, 2022
This research shows that policies that significantly restrict vapor products are likely deterring current adult smokers from switching and driving former adult smokers back to combustible cigarettes, which remain the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. and worldwide.
May 21, 2021
Juul Labs recently published a study through Qeios analyzing the effectiveness of Enhanced Access Controls using publicly-available data from FDA’s compliance-check inspections of tobacco product retailers.