Overview
- The Cochrane living systematic review, published Wednesday, pooled 80 randomized trials with about 29,861 participants and reported that nicotine e‑cigarettes increased odds of quitting at six months by roughly 61 percent versus conventional nicotine replacement therapy.
- In absolute terms the review found about four more quitters per 100 people using regulated nicotine vapes compared with patches or gum and about two more quitters per 100 versus non‑nicotine e‑cigarettes.
- The analysis applies only to regulated, tested nicotine e‑cigarette products that were used in clinical trials and explicitly excluded unlicensed or illicit devices and products containing other substances like THC.
- Trials included in the review did not show higher rates of serious short‑term harms, but authors and funders caution that longer and larger studies are needed because recent large observational research and youth‑focused reviews have raised concerns about possible long‑term cancer and respiratory and mental‑health risks.
- Policy makers face a trade‑off between expanding access to tested vapes through stop‑smoking services and tightening youth protections, with the UK already offering vapes via the NHS since 2023 and moving forward with under‑18 sales restrictions while regulators monitor emerging safety evidence.