BACKGROUND

"Heat-not-burn" tobacco products are designed to heat processed tobacco instead of combusting it, thus significantly reducing the formation of harmful and potentially harmful constituents (HPHCs) found in cigarette smoke, and ultimately reducing the risk of smoking-related diseases. The Carbon-Heated Tobacco Product (CHTP), a heat-not-burn tobacco product similar in appearance and use ritual to cigarettes, has been developed for smokers who would otherwise continue smoking as an alternative to cigarettes. To evaluate reduced risk of harm potential of CHTP, it is critical to quantify exposure to HPHCs and consequent biological pathway disturbances involved in disease onset in smokers who switch to CHTP.

METHODS

In this 2-arm, parallel-group study, adult healthy smokers, not willing to quit, were randomized to switch to CHTP 1.2 (n = 80) or to continue using cigarettes (n = 40) for 5 days in confinement followed by 85 days in an ambulatory setting. Endpoints included biomarkers of exposure (BoExp) to HPHCs, and to nicotine, urinary excretion of mutagenic constituents (Ames assay), CYP1A2 activity, biomarkers of effect, and safety.

RESULTS

In switchers to CHTP, BoExp were 40%-95% lower compared to smokers after 5 days of product use, with sustained reductions (36%-93%) observed on Day 90. Urine mutagenicity and CYP1A2 activity were also lower in the CHTP group. Exposure to nicotine was higher in the CHTP group at Day 5, but was similar between the two groups at Day 90. Favorable changes in some biomarkers of effect were observed in the CHTP group showing reductions in white blood cell count, soluble intracellular adhesion molecule-1, and 11-dehydro-thromboxane B2, respectively, indicative of reduced inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and platelet activation.

CONCLUSIONS

Switching from cigarettes to CHTP resulted in significantly reduced exposure to HPHCs and was associated with observed improvements in some biomarkers of effect representative of pathomechanistic pathways underlying the development of smoking-related diseases.