Company News

Sentiens, the technology company that has developed and patented BotanicBoost in the Novus Twig and eTwig, announced the results of its first clinical study on the satisfaction and performance of BotanicBoost for smokers.  More details on the study can be found in this article from Sentiens . The research study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design comparing the Sentiens BotanicBoost® product with placebo versions (without BotanicBoost®).  One of the delivery products was a heated device intended to deliver an aerosol of BotanicBoost, very similar to the eTwig by Novus.  The other product is paper based and delivers BotanicBoost in an invisible vapor form, very similar to the Novus Twig. The study entitl... Read More

A consumer research survey by Sentiens, the company that developed BotanicBoost®, showed that Novus Twig satisfies with 72% of smokers that tried it indicating satisfaction.  These results support the scientific theories underlying the development of BotanicBoost® by Sentiens, and further supports the past research done by others such as J.E. Rose, showing reductions in craving through similar approaches. Novus Twig® is the first product developed by Sentiens using the company’s foundational science on sensory systems and chemosensation.  Novus Twig® looks and feels more like a cigarette than any other alternative products such as e-cigarettes.  Novus Twig® is a rod shaped device made from specialized paper fibers that is infused with... Read More

Sentiens LLC, the developer of BotanicBoost® and the Novus® line of products for smokers, announced in a news release that it received notification of an allowance of patent claims in Japan related to the technology behind BotanicBoost®.   The Japanese patent, No 6087951, is related to the U.S. patent issued to Sentiens.  The claims of that patent form the foundation of BotanicBoost® that is infused into the Novus® Twig and  eTwig by Novus®.  Patents around the technology have now been issued to Sentiens in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Russia, China, Singapore, and now Japan. Here is a link to the news release at the Sentiens website for further information.   Read More

Step 1 – Remove the Top Plastic Cap: Step 2 – Remove the Bottom Plastic Cap: Step 3 – with BOTH caps removed.  PUSH from bottom to remove the eTwig: Step 4 – Remove Silicon Cap, Remove ‘red leaf’ sticker’ to increase air flow, push button and puff as normal.       (Novus eTwig Disposable,nicotine free,eCigarette alternative,Remove Packaging instructions.) Read More

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

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

September 7, 2013 / NBCNews.com / — Electronic cigarettes work about as well as nicotine patches in helping smokers kick the habit, researchers report. And e-cigarettes helped people smoke fewer cigarettes overall, even if they didn’t quit completely. The study is the first major piece of research to show that the products, which deliver a nicotine mist using a cigarette-shaped pipe, can actually benefit smokers. The findings, published in the Lancet medical journal, are not quite enough to make public health experts embrace e-cigarettes, which are not yet regulated and which are growing in popularity. But it’s enough to make them look more closely at whether there may be some benefit to them. “You’re trading one addiction... Read More