title: Impact of smoking reduced nicotine content cigarettes on sensitivity to cigarette price: further results from a multi-site clinical trial.
abstract: To assess the impact of a reduction in the nicotine content of cigarettes on estimated consumption of reduced nicotine cigarettes and usual brand cigarettes at a variety of hypothetical prices.
  
  
  
  Double-blind study with participants assigned randomly to receive cigarettes for 6 weeks that were either usual brand or an investigational cigarette with one of five nicotine contents.
  
  
  
  Ten sites across the United States.
  
  
  
  A total of 839 eligible adult smokers randomized from 2013 to 2014.
  
  
  
  Participants received their usual brand or an investigational cigarette with one of five nicotine contents: 15.8 (primary control), 5.2, 2.4, 1.3, or 0.4 mg/g.
  
  
  
  The Cigarette Purchase Task was completed at baseline and at the week 6 post-randomization visit.
  
  
  
  Compared with normal nicotine content controls, the lowest nicotine content (0.4 mg/g) reduced the number of study cigarettes participants estimated they would smoke at a range of prices [mean reduction relative to 15.8 mg/g at a price of $4.00/pack: 9.50, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 6.81,12.19]. The lowest nicotine content also reduced the maximum amount of money allocated to study cigarettes and the price at which participants reported they would stop buying study cigarettes [median reduction relative to 15.8 mg/g, 95% CI = $8.21 (4.27,12.15) per day and $0.44 (0.17,0.71) per cigarette, respectively]. A reduction in nicotine content to the lowest level also reduced the maximum amount of money allocated to usual brand cigarettes (median reduction relative to 15.8 mg/g: $4.39 per day, 95% CI = 1.88,6.90).
  
  
  
  In current smokers, a reduction in nicotine content may reduce cigarette consumption, reduce the reinforcement value of cigarettes and increase cessation if reduced nicotine content cigarettes were the only cigarette available for purchase.
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Tracy T
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-4941-3768
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
authors.forename: Rachel N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Cassidy
authors.affiliation: Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Tidey
authors.affiliation: Division of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Xianghua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Division of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Chap T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Le
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Dorothy K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Hatsukami
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Eric C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Donny
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000073865:Cigarette Smoking / Q000191:economics*; D003132:Commerce / Q000191:economics*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006801:Humans; D009538:Nicotine / Q000032:analysis*; D062789:Tobacco Products / Q000191:economics*; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D009538:Nicotine
keywords: End game; harm reduction; nicotine; public policy; smoking; taxation