CClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT04058717Updated Sep 11, 2025Results posted

Low Nicotine Cigarettes Plus Electronic Cigarettes

An interventional study of Normal Nicotine Content research cigarettes and High Nicotine e-cigarette in Tobacco Dependence, sponsored by Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 21 Years to 70 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-09-11.

Sponsored by Milton S. Hershey Medical Center · Not applicable, Interventional, and Other

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
88
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
21 Years to 70 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This study aims to determine the health effects of very low nicotine content in cigarettes, in conjunction with the availability of nicotine-containing electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) among smokers with mental health conditions (SMHC).

Read the detailed description

The specific objective of this study is to recruit a cohort of 240 current exclusive daily SMHC (diagnosed using the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview) and to measure a comprehensive battery of behavioral and health indicators at 4, 8, 12 and 16 weeks after being randomized to use either normal nicotine content (NNC) Spectrum cigarettes (11.6 mg nicotine/cigarette) or very low nicotine content (VLNC) Spectrum cigarettes (0.2 mg nicotine/cigarette) while also having access to an electronic cigarette (containing either 0 nicotine or high nicotine e-liquid) in a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled, 2 by 2 design. All participants will be followed up with a study visit 4 weeks after the final randomized visit to identify whether they have continued to use e-cigs/cigarettes and to assess their motivation in smoking abstinence.

Our central hypothesis is that key markers of harms to health (e.g. urinary NNAL, exhaled carbon monoxide, measures of addiction, and mental distress) will be significantly improved among SMHC who are provided VLNC cigarettes and high nicotine e-cigs.

02

Conditions studied

  • Tobacco Dependence

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03

In context

Tobacco Use Disorder

968 studies on the registry are indexed under Tobacco Use Disorder; 128 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 88 is close to the median of 90 across 851 interventional studies indexed under Tobacco Use Disorder.

Browse Tobacco Use Disorder studies →

Lead sponsor

Milton S. Hershey Medical Center is the lead sponsor of 480 studies on the registry; 61 are open to participants now.

Of its 56 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 42 (75%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
21 Years to 70 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

  • Smoke >5 cigarettes per day for at least the prior 12 months
  • Smoke regular, filtered cigarettes or machine-rolled cigarettes with a filter
  • Exhaled CO measurement of ≥ 6 parts per million at baseline
  • No serious cigarette smoking quit attempt or use of any FDA-approved smoking cessation medication in the prior 30 days (includes any nicotine replacement, varenicline, bupropion [used specifically as a quitting aid])
  • No plans to quit smoking within the next 3 weeks
  • Must be willing to both switch to a different type of cigarette that may contain a different amount of nicotine and to try an e-cig to substitute for some of their cigarettes
  • Must be willing and able to respond to contacts from study staff or attend visits over the study period (not planning to move, not planning extended vacation, no planned surgeries)
  • 9. Must meet lifetime diagnostic criteria for a current or lifetime unipolar or bipolar mood disorder (e.g. major depressive disorder, major depressive episode, manic episode, hypomanic episode, bipolar disorder), an anxiety disorder (e.g. panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, , agoraphobia, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder), a psychotic disorder (e.g. mood disorder or other psychotic disorder), or an eating disorder (e.g. anorexia or bulimia) based on the MINI-International Neuropsychiatric Interview Standard (MINI) (version 7.0.2)
  • Able to read and write in English
  • Able to understand and give informed consent
  • Access to a computer/smartphone with e-mail and a reliable internet connection

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Women who are pregnant and/or nursing or trying to become pregnant
  • Unstable or significant medical condition in the past 3 months (e.g., recent heart attack or other serious heart condition, stroke, severe angina, high blood pressure [systolic >159 mmHg or diastolic >99 mmHg during screening)
  • Respiratory diseases (e.g., exacerbations of asthma or COPD, require oxygen, require oral prednisone), kidney (e.g., dialysis) or liver disease (e.g., cirrhosis), severe immune system disorders (e.g., uncontrolled HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis symptoms) or any medical disorder/medication that may affect participant safety or biomarker data
  • Uncontrolled mental illness or substance abuse, or inpatient treatment for these in the past 6 months
  • Current suicide risk on clinical assessment (above "low risk" score (or ≥ 9) on MINI diagnostic interview suicide module during screening (34))
  • Use of any non-cigarette nicotine delivery product (e.g., pipe, cigar, dip, chew, snus, hookah, e-cig, strips or sticks, IQOS) in the past 7 days at screening
  • Use of an e-cig for 5 or more days in the past 28 days or any use in the past 7 days at screening
  • Use of marijuana or other illegal drugs/prescription drugs for non-medical use daily/almost daily or weekly in the past 3 months per NIDA Quick Screen
  • Any known allergy to propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin
  • Surgery requiring general anesthesia in the past 6 weeks
  • Unwilling to remain on one flavor of cigarette (regular or menthol) for the duration of the trial
  • Previous use of SPECTRUM research cigarettes in the past 6 months
  • Other member of household currently participating in the study
  • History of a seizure disorder or had a seizure in the past 12 months
  • Currently taking or have taken medications prescribed to prevent seizures (such as Carbamazepine or Phenobarbital). Using seizure medications for off-label use (indications other than treatment for seizures) will not be included as an exclusion, these will be assessed on a case-by-case basis
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Other
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Double (Participant, Investigator)
Enrollment
88 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    NNC cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigarette

    Participants are provided with normal nicotine content (NNC) cigarettes (11.6 mg nicotine/cigarette) plus e-cigarette with high nicotine e-liquid.

    Other: Normal Nicotine Content research cigarettes · Other: High Nicotine e-cigarette

  • Experimental
    NNC cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigarette

    Participants are provided with normal nicotine content (NNC) cigarettes (11.6 mg nicotine/cigarette) plus e-cigarette with zero nicotine e-liquid.

    Other: Normal Nicotine Content research cigarettes · Other: Zero Nicotine e-cigarette

  • Experimental
    VLNC cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigarette

    Participants are provided with very low nicotine content (VLNC) cigarettes (0.2 mg nicotine/cigarette) plus e-cigarette with high nicotine e-liquid.

    Other: High Nicotine e-cigarette · Other: Very Low Nicotine Content research cigarettes

  • Experimental
    VLNC cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigarette

    Participants are provided with very low nicotine content (VLNC) cigarettes (0.2 mg nicotine/cigarette) plus e-cigarette with zero nicotine e-liquid

    Other: Very Low Nicotine Content research cigarettes · Other: Zero Nicotine e-cigarette

Interventions

  • OtherNormal Nicotine Content research cigarettes

    Research cigarettes with 11.6 mg nicotine/cigarette.

  • OtherHigh Nicotine e-cigarette

    E-cigarette containing high nicotine e-liquid

  • OtherVery Low Nicotine Content research cigarettes

    Research cigarettes with 0.2 mg nicotine/cigarette.

  • OtherZero Nicotine e-cigarette

    E-cigarette containing zero nicotine e-liquid

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Urinary NNAL (4-(Methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol)

    Measure of tobacco-specific nitrosamine

    Time frame: Week 16

Secondary outcomes

  1. Exhaled Carbon Monoxide

    Measure of cigarette smoke exposure

    Time frame: Week 16

  2. Kessler-6 Score

    Measure of serious psychological distress. This scale is a brief, self-report tool used to assess psychological distress. Scores range from 0-24, with higher scores indicating greater distress

    Time frame: Week 16

  3. Penn State Cigarette Dependence Index

    Measure of cigarette dependence. This 10-item scale (with scores ranging from 0 to 20) was developed to measure cigarette dependence, where a score of 0 indicates no cigarette dependence and 20 indicates maximum cigarette dependence.

    Time frame: Week 16

  4. Penn State Electronic Cigarette Dependence Index

    Measure of e-cigarette dependence. This 10-item scale (with scores ranging from 0 to 20) was developed to measure e-cigarette dependence, where a score of 0 indicates no cigarette dependence and 20 indicates maximum e-cigarette dependence.

    Time frame: Week 16

  5. Cigarette Abstinence

    No cigarette use in the past 7 days and exhaled carbon monoxide \< 6ppm

    Time frame: Week 20

07

Results

Posted Sep 11, 2025

Participant flow

Randomization Period
Participant flow — Randomization Period
MilestoneNNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteNNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteVLNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteVLNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigarette
Started20202020
Completed17131313
Not completed3777
Withdrew: Lost to follow-up2344
Withdrew: Withdrawal by subject1333
Withdrew: Pi decision0100
Week 20 Follow up
Participant flow — Week 20 Follow up
MilestoneNNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteNNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteVLNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteVLNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigarette
Started17131313
Completed15131311
Not completed2002

Outcome measures

PrimaryUrinary NNAL (4-(Methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol)

Measure of tobacco-specific nitrosamine

Time frame:
Week 16
Reported as:
Mean · pg/mg creatinine
Urinary NNAL (4-(Methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol)
pg/mg creatinineNNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteNNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteVLNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteVLNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigarette
Urinary NNAL (4-(Methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol)505.6 ± 432.7459.1 ± 312.8373.3 ± 553.1180.5 ± 218.2
Statistical analysis
  • NNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigarette vs NNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigarette vs VLNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigarette vs VLNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigarette · Kruskal-Wallis · p = 0.017 · H-statistic: 10.23
SecondaryExhaled Carbon Monoxide

Measure of cigarette smoke exposure

Time frame:
Week 16
Reported as:
Mean · parts per million
Exhaled Carbon Monoxide
parts per millionNNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteNNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteVLNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteVLNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigarette
Exhaled Carbon Monoxide23.6 ± 9.425.2 ± 14.621.9 ± 24.512.6 ± 10.3
Statistical analysis
  • NNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigarette vs NNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigarette vs VLNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigarette vs VLNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigarette · Kruskal-Wallis · p = 0.056 · H-statistic: 7.57
SecondaryKessler-6 Score

Measure of serious psychological distress. This scale is a brief, self-report tool used to assess psychological distress. Scores range from 0-24, with higher scores indicating greater distress

Time frame:
Week 16
Reported as:
Mean · score on a scale
Kessler-6 Score
score on a scaleNNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteNNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteVLNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteVLNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigarette
Kessler-6 Score6.9 ± 5.95.7 ± 5.15.4 ± 5.95.9 ± 4.3
Statistical analysis
  • NNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigarette vs NNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigarette vs VLNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigarette vs VLNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigarette · Kruskal-Wallis · p = 0.74 · H-statistic: 1.26
SecondaryPenn State Cigarette Dependence Index

Measure of cigarette dependence. This 10-item scale (with scores ranging from 0 to 20) was developed to measure cigarette dependence, where a score of 0 indicates no cigarette dependence and 20 indicates maximum cigarette dependence.

Time frame:
Week 16
Reported as:
Mean · score on a scale
Penn State Cigarette Dependence Index
score on a scaleNNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteNNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteVLNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteVLNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigarette
Penn State Cigarette Dependence Index11.9 ± 311.5 ± 2.911.8 ± 4.39.4 ± 3.2
Statistical analysis
  • NNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigarette vs NNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigarette vs VLNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigarette vs VLNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigarette · Kruskal-Wallis · p = 0.248 · Slope: 4.13
SecondaryPenn State Electronic Cigarette Dependence Index

Measure of e-cigarette dependence. This 10-item scale (with scores ranging from 0 to 20) was developed to measure e-cigarette dependence, where a score of 0 indicates no cigarette dependence and 20 indicates maximum e-cigarette dependence.

Time frame:
Week 16
Reported as:
Mean · score on a scale
Penn State Electronic Cigarette Dependence Index
score on a scaleNNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteNNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteVLNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteVLNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigarette
Penn State Electronic Cigarette Dependence Index3.1 ± 35.8 ± 3.88.1 ± 5.25.8 ± 4.1
Statistical analysis
  • NNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigarette vs NNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigarette vs VLNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigarette vs VLNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigarette · Kruskal-Wallis · p = 0.025 · H-statistic: 9.33
SecondaryCigarette Abstinence

No cigarette use in the past 7 days and exhaled carbon monoxide \< 6ppm

Time frame:
Week 20
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
Cigarette Abstinence
ParticipantsNNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteNNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteVLNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteVLNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigarette
Cigarette Abstinence1144
Statistical analysis
  • NNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigarette vs NNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigarette vs VLNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigarette vs VLNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigarette · Fisher Exact · p = 0.289

Adverse events

Collected over 20 weeks. Non-serious events are listed at a 3% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
NNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigarette0/20 (0%)4/20 (20%)7/20 (35%)
NNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigarette0/20 (0%)4/20 (20%)11/20 (55%)
VLNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigarette0/20 (0%)2/20 (10%)6/20 (30%)
VLNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigarette0/20 (0%)1/20 (5%)8/20 (40%)
Most frequent serious events
Showing 10 of 11
Most frequent serious events
EventNNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteNNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteVLNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteVLNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigarette
Upper respiratory infectionInfections and infestations0/201/200/200/20
Pregnancy lossPregnancy, puerperium and perinatal conditions1/200/200/200/20
Lung infectionInfections and infestations0/201/200/200/20
Clostridium difficile infectionInfections and infestations0/201/200/200/20
Self-injurious ideationPsychiatric disorders1/200/200/200/20
Surgical and Medical Procedures, other back electrodesSurgical and medical procedures0/200/201/200/20
AlcoholismPsychiatric disorders0/200/201/200/20
Infections and infestations - Other, influenzaInfections and infestations0/201/200/200/20
Chest pain - cardiacCardiac disorders0/200/200/201/20
DepressionPsychiatric disorders1/200/200/201/20
Most frequent other events
Most frequent other events
EventNNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteNNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteVLNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteVLNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigarette
Suicidal ideationPsychiatric disorders1/205/204/202/20
CoughRespiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders2/203/200/203/20
DepressionPsychiatric disorders2/202/201/201/20
HypertensionVascular disorders2/201/201/202/20

Baseline characteristics

Age, Continuous
Age, Continuous(years)NNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteNNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteVLNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteVLNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteTotal
Mean43.9 ± 9.251.2 ± 10.444.6 ± 947.8 ± 12.146.9 ± 10.5
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)NNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteNNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteVLNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteVLNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteTotal
Female1812181260
Male282820
Race (NIH/OMB)
Race (NIH/OMB)(Participants)NNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteNNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteVLNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteVLNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteTotal
American Indian or Alaska Native01001
Asian00000
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander00000
Black or African American12227
White1817181871
More than one race10001
Unknown or Not Reported00000
Region of Enrollment
Region of Enrollment(participants)NNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteNNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteVLNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteVLNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteTotal
United States2020202080
Cigarettes per day
Cigarettes per day(cigarettes per day)NNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteNNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteVLNC Cigarettes + High Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteVLNC Cigarettes + Zero Nicotine Containing E-cigaretteTotal
Mean22 ± 11.718.8 ± 9.922.4 ± 8.617.6 ± 9.820.2 ± 10.1
08

Study locations

1 site
  • Penn State College of Medicine
    Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, United States
09

References and documents

Study documents

  • Protocol and statistical analysis plan · Jan 23, 2025
  • Informed consent form · Feb 15, 2024

Documents are hosted by the registry — open the source record to download them.

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

10

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 11, 2025, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
11

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04058717
Lead sponsor
Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Collaborators
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Responsible party
Jonathan Foulds (Principal Investigator, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center) — Principal investigator
First posted
Aug 15, 2019
Start date
Jun 1, 2021
Primary completion
Jul 15, 2024
Completion
Aug 12, 2024
Results posted
Sep 11, 2025
Last update
Sep 11, 2025

Study contacts

Jonathan Foulds, PhD
principal investigator · Penn State College of Medicine

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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