IN A landmark decision, the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) announced on Oct 12 that it has authorised the first set of e-cigarette products for sale in the US.
In greenlighting these products, the agency signalled that it believed vaping products offer smokers the opportunity to quit traditional cigarettes with reduced exposure to harmful chemicals.
Following its decision, FDA said in a statement that the authorisation is an important step toward ensuring all new products undergo the FDA’s robust, scientific premarket evaluation.
They added that âthe manufacturer’s data demonstrates its tobacco-flavoured products could benefit addicted adult smokers who switch to these products, either completely or with a significant reduction in cigarette consumption, by reducing their exposure to harmful chemicals.â
This concurs with recent research.
Reviewing evidence from 61 studies that included more than 16,000 participants, Jamie Hartmann-Boyce at the University of Oxford found that the findings provided more confidence that e-cigarettes with nicotine, such as those now approved by the FDA, can help people quit smoking better than other replacement aids such as gum or patches.
The Oxford scholar added that in studies testing e-cigarettes as a way to quit smoking, there was no evidence that people using e-cigarettes were more likely to experience serious health issues.
For a medical practitioner like me, when translated into action, this simply means: âIf you do not smoke, do not start to use e-cigarettes or vape. If you do smoke, consider switching.â
