Yesterday, on the 11th of December, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, announced an educational campaign called “Every Try Counts”, aimed at adult smokers and encouraging them to quit. Last August, the FDA announced a major shakeup to the agency’s policy on e-cigarettes which amongst other things includes the de-nicotinization of cigarettes, and a PMTA deadline delay.
Then yesterday, on Monday the 11th of December, the agency announced the “Every Try Counts”. A campaign targeted at smokers aged between 25 and 54 who have previously tried quitting with no success. The two-year campaign will be launched next month across 35 U.S. markets and features print, digital, radio, and out-of-home ads, such as on billboards.
“The FDA is committed to reducing tobacco-related disease and death by helping people quit combustible cigarettes and implementing comprehensive policies to reduce addiction to nicotine. Our aim is to render cigarettes minimally or non-addictive, while encouraging the development of potentially less harmful tobacco products for adults who still want or need access to nicotine. At the same time, we’re also taking new steps to improve access and use of FDA-approved medicinal nicotine products to help smokers quit,” concluded Gottlieb.
The role of electronic cigarettes in smoking cessation
In line with the above, last August the commissioner also said that the FDA’s new tobacco plan supports product innovation so that smokers can obtain the nicotine they crave, without the added carcinogens derived from the combustion of tobacco. He had pointed out that smoking rates continue to drop across the US, however approximately 480,000 people continue to die per year due to smoking related conditions. Hence, the FDA aims to review the way low risk products such as e-cigarettes are regulated, so that smokers are able to switch to safer alternatives that could potentially save their life.
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