High nicotine strategy
It hasn’t worked for them.
The 22nd Century Group said yesterday that the US Food and Drug Administration had granted it authorization to conduct a clinical trial on its Brand B low tar-to-nicotine ratio cigarettes.
In a press note, the company, which has recently been promoting its low-nicotine cigarettes as potential harm reduction tools, said the trial was ‘designed to confirm that as smokers make the adjustment to a higher nicotine cigarette, they take in less smoke because the nicotine is more readily available’.
‘According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention …, 32 percent of smokers (nearly 12 million) do not wish to quit smoking,’ the company said. ‘For these smokers, 22nd Century is developing its Brand B low tar-to-nicotine ratio cigarettes as a reduced exposure product candidate.
‘The Company intends to submit a Modified Risk Tobacco Product (MRTP) application to the FDA for Brand B.
‘Independent surveys have shown that even though 30-50 percent of American smokers are not committed to quitting, 90 percent of these smokers would be willing to try a potentially reduced exposure tobacco product. For this reason, 22nd Century believes the company’s proprietary Brand B product has enormous market potential.
“Our initial clinical trial investigating the effects of Brand B’s design-objective – the reduced delivery of smoke components, other than nicotine – is a measurable step forward in the development of our company’s mission,” Dr. Michael Moynihan, vice president of Research & Development, was quoted as saying.