The results from the COSTED Trial are in! Were vapes prescribed on the NHS successful as a smoking deterrent? Find out below.

Back in December in 2021 Vape Direct reported that vaping was helping the UK turn teens away from smoking. As part of the war on smoking, the NHS became so confident that vaping could fulfil this task, that they ran the Cessation of Smoking Trial in the Emergency Department (COSTED) trial.

What is/was the COSTED Trial?

The COSTED trial was run in England across 6 different destinations. These destinations were all accident and emergency departments. The trial aimed to distribute vape device starter kits to those heavy smokers who ended up in A & E for other treatments.

Those people who qualified for the trial were given support from a smoking cessation specialist through the NHS. They also received a DotPro starter vaping kit, an explanation of how to use the device, and a referral to their local smoking cessation service.

What was in the Starter Vape Kit?

The DotPro starter vaping kit came with the device, the charger, and 11 pre-filled pods. Thereafter, patients were encouraged to restock from online vape shops. www.VapeDirect.com offer a range of beginner e-liquids and replacement pods which are ideal for starter vape kits. You can also browse our range of pod kits should you require a new vape device.

Who was Eligible for an NHS Vape?

There were certain eligibility criteria which patients had to meet before they were issued with a starter kit. These include:

• They must not have arrived at A & E seeking urgent care.
• Participants could not be allergic to nicotine.
• Those who owned a vape were excluded.
• They must not have been visiting the NHS courtesy of local police.
• They must have had significant levels of CO2 in their blood.

The Study

Those who were eligible were split into two groups. As with every scientific study, they required a control group to measure the results against. In this case, the control group were issued with smoking cessation brochures and materials but were not given any of the other perks. There were 486 people in each group.

The second group were given all the perks and then asked to report in at 3, 6, and 9 months after issue.

The Results

Of the control group, 12 people withdrew, 317 responded to the 6-month check and 159 went AWOL. By 6 months 4.1% of those remaining had quit smoking. By the 1-month check-in 10% of this group had stopped smoking for at least a week following the NHS advice. 2.7% of this group experienced throat irritation during the study.

Of the group issued with vape devices, 5 people withdrew, 351 responded to the 6-month check-in and 128 people went AWOL. By 6 months 7.2% had quit smoking using vapes. By the 1-month check-in, 19.4% of this group had stopped smoking for at least a week. 3.2% of this group experienced throat irritation during the study.

Researchers have recorded that those who received the vape kit, advice, and help, were “statistically significantly more likely to achieve sustained smoking abstinence.”

So the results are in and it is final: a combination of cessation advice and vape devices would help people quit smoking.