Project leader Professor Piotr Tutka said: “The project involves conducting the world's first large study aimed at finding an effective and safe drug in the treatment of electronic cigarette addiction. 

“The project is expected to provide evidence for the use of cytisine as the first drug in the treatment of +exclusive+ e-cigarette addiction and +dual+ addiction to e-cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes', reads the study description.”

He added: “From the scientific point of view, it will be an innovation and a breakthrough on a global scale, and from the implementation point of view, the study will have great health, social and economic significance for patients and the health care system in Poland and around the world.

“The use of electronic cigarettes, initially introduced as an alternative to traditional cigarettes, has increased dramatically in the last few years and is now described by the US Food and Drug Administration as an +epidemic+. The percentage of electronic cigarette users in the population of young Poles is now higher than the percentage of traditional cigarette smokers.”

He adds that many patients want to stop using electronic cigarettes, but as many as 70 percent of them receive no help in this regard.

Tutka said: “As part of the project, an innovative clinical trial will be carried out, the effect of which will be the development of the first pharmacological treatment of addiction to electronic cigarettes and dual addiction, that is, addiction to electronic and traditional cigarettes.”

The University received over PLN 9.8 million funding for the implementation of this project.

(PAP)

author: Agnieszka Pipała

api/ zan/ kap/

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