FDA OK’s Smokeless Cigarette Sales. Can They Help You Quit?

Marty Munson 18:18 - 06 August 2024

Can IQOS Help You Quit Smoking?

Quitting smoking isnt easy. Some docs hoped vaping would transition people off cigarettes, but now there are questions about what vaping does to your health, too. And now, Philip Morris International gets the OK to sell a penlike device, called IQOS, thats halfway between a vape pen and a cigarette. Its been sold in other countries for about three years, and the FDA agreed to permit the sale of it in the US this week.

Its considered a heat not burn device, and its kind of like a vape pen, but uses tobacco instead of liquid nicotine. The FDA acknowledges that the products produce fewer or lower levels of some toxins than combustible cigarettes. Thats good, since when burned, cigarettes create more than 7,000 chemicals, and the FDA agrees that IQOS delivers less carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and acrolein.

It cant yet be marketed as a safer cigarette, the FDA says. And theres also no evidence that it helps you quit actual cigarettes, points out Michael Roizen, MD, chief wellness officer at the Cleveland Clinic.

So why would you use it? In The New York Times, Andr Calantzopoulos, the chief executive of Philip Morris International in The New York Times, says that the IQOS offers a smoke-free alternative to continued smoking.

Close-Up Of Smoke Emitting From Cigarette Butt In Ashtray On Table

Better ways to quit

Dont let that be good enough for you. There are many proven ways to quit smoking, Dr. Roizen says. Nicotine replacement patches and prescription medications like Chantix and Zyban have track records, he says, adding that peer support is essential, too. In the Cleveland Clinic Wellness smoking cessation program, theyve seen a 63 percent success rate in quitting among 5,000 people using the combination of nicotine patches, prescription medications, and coaching.

What many people who want to quit overlook is that you have to replace the habit of smoking with something else, like activity, Dr. Roizen says. He recommends creating a quit plan, as does the National Cancer Institute , wherein you choose a date for quitting. Then, Dr. Roizen recommends racking up success by doing your smoking replacement every day until you quit. Suppose your smoking replacement is push-ups. Practice doing them every day before you give up cigarettes, so you go into the process with a track record of success. Research has found that even Twitter and milk can help you out , too. If you dont have a coach or buddy in the game with you, the National Cancer Institute has two free apps- quitSTART and QuitGuide -that promise support and motivation along your way to kicking the habit.