Published in JACC Advances, June 2025
The E3 Trial evaluated whether short-term use of nicotine or non-nicotine e-cigarettes, combined with counseling, improves smoking abstinence at 1 year. This multicenter, randomized controlled trial adds critical insight into smoking cessation strategies.
🧑‍⚕️ Study Design
- Population: 376 adult smokers (≥10 cigarettes/day), motivated to quit
- Sites: 17 centers across Canada
- Groups:
- A: Nicotine e-cigarettes + counseling (n = 128)
- B: Non-nicotine e-cigarettes + counseling (n = 127)
- C: Counseling alone (n = 121)
🎯 Primary Outcome:
Point Prevalence Abstinence at 52 Weeks
- Nicotine e-cigs + counseling: 23.6%
- Counseling alone: 9.9%
- Absolute difference: +13.7% (95% CI: 4.6% to 22.8%)
đź“Š Secondary Outcomes
- Continuous Abstinence at 52 Weeks
- A: 3.1% vs C: 0.0%
- Difference: 3.1% (95% CI: 0.1% to 6.2%)
- Reduction in Cigarettes/Day
- A: –9.5 ±10.5 vs C: –5.6 ±9.5
- Difference: –3.9 cigarettes/day (95% CI: –6.5 to –1.4)
âś… VisualMed Takeaway
Compared to counseling alone, 12-week use of nicotine and non-nicotine e-cigarettes improves smoking abstinence at 1 year. This suggests e-cigarettes—when paired with behavioral support—can be a valuable addition to cessation efforts.
🧠Clinical Pearl:
Standardized e-cigarettes may offer a practical and scalable intervention to help motivated smokers quit.
đź“– Filion KB et al. JACC Adv. 2025 Jun;4(6_Part_2):101833.