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. 2022 Jan 6;2022(1):CD013790. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013790.pub2

Tricker 2012b.

Study characteristics
Methods Design: RCT
Study dates: not reported
Recruitment: no information  
Location: Japan
Setting: confinement in‐clinic setting
Participants Number randomised: 128
Characteristics: 30.5% women; mean age 23.5 years; all participants smoked ≥ 10 cigarettes per day; mean FTND score 3.9
Specialist population: aged 19–50 years; Japanese ethnicity
Inclusion criteria
  • Currently smoke 10–30 cigarettes per day

  • Aged 20–50 years

  • Japanese ethnicity

  • Only smoked Marlboro non‐menthol cigarettes for 2 weeks prior to study


Exclusion criteria
  • Unacceptable medical conditions

  • Use of nicotine or tobacco product other than cigarettes within 3 months prior to screening

  • Alcohol or drug problems

  • BMI ≤ 17.6 and ≥ 26.4 kg/m2

  • Use of any medication other than hormonal contraceptives

  • Pregnant or lactating

  • People of childbearing potential who did not agree to use contraception

Interventions Randomised (7:7:7:7:4 ratio) to use a EHCSS‐K6 electronic HTP, EHCSS‐K3 electronic HTP, continue smoking Marlboro cigarettes, switch to Lark1 cigarettes, or become abstinent
K6 heated tobacco arm 
Device heating method: electronic
Device name: EHCSS‐K6, precursor to THS marketed under brand name IQOS
Device manufacturer: PMI
Other instructions and details: participants were given tobacco sticks
Behavioural support: none mentioned
Instructions for smoking cessation/switching: switch entirely to heated tobacco use for study period
K3 heated tobacco arm 
Device heating method: electronic
Device name: EHCSS‐K3, precursor to THS marketed under brand name IQOS
Device manufacturer: PMI
Other instructions and details: participants were given tobacco sticks
Behavioural support: none mentioned
Instructions for smoking cessation/switching: switch entirely to heated tobacco use for study period
Marlboro cigarette smoking arm
Other instructions and details: participants were given Marlboro cigarettes
Behavioural support: none mentioned
Instructions for smoking cessation/switching: continue smoking Marlboro cigarettes for study period
Lark1 cigarette smoking arm
Other instructions and details: participants were given Lark1 low machine yield cigarettes
Behavioural support: none mentioned
Instructions for smoking cessation/switching: switch to smoking Lark1 cigarettes for study period
Abstinence arm
Behavioural support: none mentioned
Instructions for smoking cessation/switching: do not smoke cigarettes during study period
Outcomes Follow‐up time points: 1 week (8 days)
Abstinence outcomes: N/A
Safety outcomes: biomarkers of exposure to toxins and carcinogens; biomarkers of harm; adverse events; serious adverse events
Prevalence/sales outcomes: N/A
Notes Funding source
Tobacco industry funded: quote: "The work reported in all eight parts of this supplement was funded by PMI R&D".
Author conflicts of interest
Quote: "All authors are or were Philip Morris International (PMI) R&D employees or worked for PMI R&D under contractual agreements".
Risk of bias
Bias Authors' judgement Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias) Unclear risk No details on random sequence generation.
Allocation concealment (selection bias) Unclear risk No information.
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias)
All outcomes Low risk All outcomes were biological.
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias)
All outcomes Unclear risk No information on attrition.
Selective reporting (reporting bias) Unclear risk No trial registration or analysis plan.