A Prospective 6-Week Actual Use Study of glo Heated Tobacco Products in the United States

Objective: To provide insight into how the availability of a new heated tobacco product (glo HTP) may influence combustible cigarette and other tobacco and nicotine‐containing products (TNP) use behavior among current regular cigarette smokers in the United States in their natural environment. Methods: 1180 participants between the ages of 21 and 60 were enrolled in a prospective observational study across ten study sites in the South, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic United States. A smartphone-based electronic diary (eDiary) was used to record self-reported daily ad libitum use of combustible cigarettes (CC), the glo HTP (comprising a glo heating device and four HTP consumables termed “neo sticks”), and other TNP. Participants recorded all TNP use, including CC, during a one-week baseline period with no glo HTP availability and subsequently during a 6-week actual use period (AUP) with glo HTP available ad libitum. In addition to eDiary consumption data, subjective experiences and product use behaviors were queried at regular site visits and at the study end. Results: There was an overall reduction in combustible cigarette use during the six-week AUP. A considerable proportion (60.8%) of study participants who used glo HTP became “established users,” defined as using at least 100 neo sticks over the AUP. A 30.0% decrease in median number of cigarettes smoked per day (CPD) (from 11.0 to 7.7 CPD) was observed for those who remained in the study through Week 6 and completed the final survey, with approximately 4% recording no cigarette use at Week 6. Over the course of 6 weeks, a sizable proportion (26.0%) reduced their CPD consumption by 50% or more compared to baseline. At the same time, there were no increases in the means of combined total tobacco product uses per day for all subgroups observed. Conclusions: The results suggest that participants substituted some or all of their cigarette use with glo HTP. Availability and use of glo HTP may help some smokers migrate away from the use of combustible cigarettes, suggesting that this product could play a key role in tobacco harm reduction and positively impact public health.