Nicotine pouches to help smokers cut down
Project 3: Randomized Placebo-controlled Trial of Nicotine Pouches in Smokers
This research will compare flavor-matched nicotine pouches with 0 mg, 3 mg, or 6 mg nicotine in daily smokers who want to reduce but not quit to see how pouch use changes smoking and exposure to harmful chemicals.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Pennsylvania State Univ Hershey Med Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Hershey, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11162420 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would join if you are a daily smoker interested in cutting down but not quitting. Participants are randomly assigned, double-blind, to use nicotine pouches containing 0 mg, 3 mg, or 6 mg nicotine in Smooth or Wintergreen flavors and followed for 16 weeks. The team will track smoking behavior, addiction scores, breath carbon monoxide, urine NNAL, oral B(a)P DNA adducts, oxidative stress markers, and other health indicators at baseline and during follow-up. The trial is run at Penn State Hershey and MD Anderson in Texas to recruit a diverse sample of smokers.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are adult daily cigarette smokers who want to cut down on smoking but are not trying to quit right now.
Not a fit: Non-smokers, people actively trying to quit completely, pregnant people, and those with medical reasons to avoid nicotine are unlikely to benefit from joining.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If effective, nicotine pouches could help smokers reduce cigarette use and lower exposure to some tobacco-related toxins.
How similar studies have performed: Nicotine replacement therapies have shown success at reducing cigarette use, but nicotine pouches are a newer product and randomized placebo-controlled evidence is currently limited.
Where this research is happening
Hershey, United States
- Pennsylvania State Univ Hershey Med Ctr — Hershey, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Foulds, Jonathan — Pennsylvania State Univ Hershey Med Ctr
- Study coordinator: Foulds, Jonathan
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.