Event name:
Assessment of Abuse Liability of an ENDS Under ad libitum Use ConditionsSession Date:
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Session Speakers:
Glas has developed a pod-based ENDS device enabled with age-verification technology. The E-Cigarette is locked when purchased and the user is required to register the device and age verify before it can be activated. A human abuse liability study was conducted with the device to determine nicotine pharmacokinetics as compared to a usual brand cigarette. The subjects used the products under controlled smoking conditions and also ad libitum for 4 hours. This study showed that adults who vaped the Glas products had similar nicotine exposure during controlled use (10 puffs) when compared to usual brand cigarettes. However, during the ad libitum use, participants took more puffs of the Glas products and used them for a longer duration than cigarettes. Nicotine plasma levels were not measured during the ad libitum phase. These results suggested that smokers may achieve higher nicotine exposure during “normal” use than cigarettes and that the Glas products may have a potential higher abuse liability than cigarettes. A second study was conducted to evaluate the nicotine pharmacokinetics and topography in experienced vapers over the same 4-hour ad libitum use period. As in the previous study, the vaping topography pattern during ad libitum use was different from smoking. Experienced vapers took more, longer puffs on the Glas products than on cigarettes. These different puffs did not result in higher overall plasma nicotine levels. In fact, the plasma nicotine levels for the Glas products were consistently less than usual brand cigarettes over the four-hour extended use period. Product liking was less for the Glas products compared to cigarettes. These results indicate that the Glas products have an overall lower abuse liability than conventional cigarettes under “normal” use conditions.