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As we look back at the last 2 years and the ups and downs of being a start-up company,  We’re reminded to think about Why we started down this path in the first place.  It was not to become another tobacco company, or another pharmaceutical giant. We started because we believed that there was another way to address smokers needs, and that way would not be followed by those already in the market – the tobacco companies and the pharmaceutical companies.  It won’t be followed even now when e-cigarettes proved that smokers were telling the truth when they said they wanted a healthier product but also something satisfying.  And while e-cigs are proving that product appeal must exist to get harm reduction, we believe that it is... Read More

Sentiens, LLC announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“PTO”) issued a Notice of Allowance on October 9th, 2013 in Application No. 13/710,801, “Device and Method for Simulating Chemosensation of Smoking”.  This application covers the technology behind the effectiveness of BotanicBoost™ and its use in products developed by the Company, such as the Novus®  Twig and eTwig by Novus® .  A Notice of Allowance, issued by the PTO, is a notification that an applicant is entitled to a patent.  The patent is expected to issue within approximately two months. The allowed ‘801 application discloses a device that simulates the sensations of smoking in the throat and airways and botanic agents that activate specific sensory... Read More

Recent research and articles are growing the support for our entirely new approach for smokers. First is the growing distinction being made between smoking addiction and nicotine addiction.  I posted an entry to our Sentiens website about this issue recently that is worth reading (“Tobacco, Nicotine and Cessation – Not all are equal“).  The reasoning behind this distinction is valid – by separating nicotine from smoking it will be easier to regulate e-cigarettes differently than cigarettes.  By distinguishing between the two, the ability to describe e-cigs as harm reducing products can be made, and there is then a legitimate reason to more lightly regulate them.  We completely agree with this more pragmatic approach,... Read More

New York Times editorialist Joe Nocera penned a very compelling piece about the issues around the e-cigarette, and the potential it has for harm reduction.  As Clive Bates has repeatedly noted,  harm reduction is the combination of reduced risk and the number of people who use the product.  If a product has perfect risk reduction but no one tries it or uses it, the harm reduction benefit is zero.  On the other hand, a product that reduces risk significantly and is used by 50% of the target population has a very significant social harm reduction benefit. The arguments for banning e-cigarettes have become a moral crusade, according to Mr. Nocera’s article and an interview with Michael Siegel.  As Mr. Nocera writes, “When we got to... Read More

In a prior blog posting, I expressed our view that nicotine is in fact not the key to cessation.  If it were, then the NRTs available today would have had a much better success rate than they’ve shown to have.  As far back as 2003, research was showing that nicotine replacement therapies such as the patch, gum or lozenge, only increased the odds of quitting by 7% (over 6 months).  Other reports have shown that even that small success rate was only temporary as relapse was common after 6 months.  A research paper in Tobacco Control showed that the relapse rate was the same whether a smoker used an NRT (like the patch or gum) or not. Despite this evidence, there is no reason to restrict or eliminate these therapies because for some they... Read More

The estimates of current e-cig usage and forecasts of growth in sales continue to be revised upwards, with the latest from Wells Fargo suggesting U.S. sales for 2013 will be $1.8 billion, $10 billion by 2017, and surpass cigarette consumption in less than 10 years. Here is an article about these forecasts from the Winston Salem Journal. Dr. Michael Siegel also refers to the forecasts and makes a point about the possible risks of the anti-smoking community trying to fight against this consumer demand and in doing so losing the bigger battle – reducing cigarette consumption, and at the same time risking their reputations and credibility. It may be helpful to consider why e-cigarettes have been so successful in such a short time, why... Read More

October 2, 2013 / Forbes / — Lorillard’s announcement it will pay as much as $100 million for a top British e-cigarette manufacturer demonstrates the rapid evolution of what started out as a niche business. On top of Lorillard’s $135 million purchase of blu eCigs in April 2012 and the entrance of high-profile entrepreneurs like Sean Parker and Peter Theil – they invested $15 million into NJOY earlier this year – Lorillard’s investment signals the e-cig business has arrived. It also increases the odds that electronic cigarettes, which heat nicotine into a vapor instead of burning tobacco, will be dragged into the same web of taxes and regulations that state, federal and local authorities have used to control the cigarette... Read More

Update: The following article also highlights the origins of e-cigarettes and the clear lack of interest initially from tobacco companies. Many articles that are negative toward e-cigs falsely try to tie e-cigs toward another plot by tobacco companies to manipulate the public, and especially teens.  For good reason, these companies have become caricatures of evil incarnate, preying on the innocent through sophisticated marketing techniques and secretively supporting the addiction of nicotine.   There are enough facts available to show that these companies did try to hide some important facts about the dangers of smoking from the consumer.  However, you would think that if these tobacco companies were as good at marketing as they are... Read More

Gallup just released this new informational poll that estimates the costs to the U.S. economy for workers that smoke, but here are a couple of highlights (or lowlights) Workers who smoke have on average 2.5 more days of absenteeism due to poor health. Healthcare costs are $2,056 higher annually for a smoker than a non-smoker. It is these statistics that make the strongest case for providing more favorable treatment of e-cigarettes.  If e-cigs are the most effective way to get reductions in cigarette consumption or full quitting, they should be positioned and promoted as an aid.  Smoking rates in the U.S. decreased for years, but have stabilized around 20% for years.  This is despite the fact that everyone understands the dangers of... Read More