Nicotine Replacement Products | Are Ecigs In This Category?

Posted by: Chad on February 26, 2014 Under: Ecig Questions |

Nicotine Replacement Products |Are Ecigs In This Category?

Right now you’ll never hear any electronic cigarette company say anything remotely close to their products are or can be used as  “Nicotine Replacement Products“. Mainly because the Food and Drug Administration has such strict qualifications for products trying to be considered as Nicotine Replacement Products.  So to be in the running for any kind of consideration in this category, you pretty much have to market your product  as designed to only  help a consumer quit smoking.  By pretty much I mean MUST market the product as designed to quit smoking.  On top of that, the product needs to be able to get the consumer broke from their addiction within a 3 to 4 month period.  Most these products in this category come with a weekly plan and strategy as well.  So there is a rhyme and reason to how these products will help you quite smoking.

However….

Back in December of 2013 the FDA opened the door to this category and is looking to expand it, which is great news.  The biggest take away from this hearing is the FDA is looking to make the category more geared to “harm reduction”, which could land a lot of products right in the mix of things.  By harm reduction this means the product would help a person to lower their use of tobacco products, therefore reducing the harm factor.  But what does this mean for electronic cigarettes?

Well….

According to Stephanie Prymas, who is a Consumer Heath Research Analyst.  Products that just reduce the use of smoking or help cut down on it, could be considered soon as Nicotine Replacement Products.  It makes sense doesn’t it?  If you quit smoking cigarettes to use another product that still gives you nicotine, isn’t that a nicotine replacement product?  Did you not just replace your nicotine? So another huge difference in this consideration is the time restraint could also be lifted.  So Nicotine Replace Products will hopefully not be held to that 3 to 4 month period, but could stretch over a longer period of time.  Which I would think is a more realistic plan for someone trying to quit smoking.

Which brings me back to the main question….

Are electronic cigarettes nicotine replacement products?  No.  But who knows, anything could happen in the future.