Nowadays, many new products are being used and marketed as tools to help quit smoking. Due to changing public perceptions of cigarette smoking and its effects on health, nicotine replacement products like nicotine pouches have become increasingly popular in various countries worldwide. These pouches are part of a line of oral nicotine products that provide smokers with a smoke-free alternative to traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and vapes.
Recently, Health Canada granted permission to sell Zonnic nicotine pouches — to be distributed in Canada exclusively. This is a first for Canada; no other nicotine pouch has yet received Health Canada’s authorization. Like other nicotine pouches, Zonnic temporarily relieves cravings and nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Along with the license from Health Canada, Zonnic has also been authorized for use as a form of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT).
Of course, Zonnic isn’t the only new nicotine pouch on the block. In October, smokeless tobacco brand TACJA announced their innovative nicotine pouches’ arrival in the UK, Switzerland, and Sweden. These TACJA pouches range from fruity and cooling flavors to rich and classic tobacco notes, providing smokers with a vapor-free and smokeless means to access nicotine through pharmaceutical-grade ingredients compliant with the European Union Good Manufacturing Practice.
Today, nicotine pouches have become increasingly popular due to them being tobacco- and smoke-free. For smokers trying to quit the habit, these pouches deliver microdoses of nicotine without exposing them to the harmful ingredients usually contained in cigarettes, like tobacco and tar.
More on nicotine pouches
As mentioned above, many new brands and companies today have released products like nicotine pouches to help make quitting easier and more accessible. On! pouches, made by Helix Innovations, are 100% tobacco-free and have an ultra-compact mini-dry format, making the pouches invisible when placed under the lip. This prevents excessive drip and provides a discreet experience for users to use them anywhere and anytime.
Nicotine pouches from brands like On!, ZYN, and VELO are also easily accessible online as well as in gas stations, convenience stores, and headshops in the US. Today, most people in the smokeless community prefer buying their pouches online, as they are often sold cheaper, kept fresher, and stored under optimal conditions.
The shift towards smoking cessation
By now, the harmful effects of cigarette smoking — both for public health and the environment — are undeniable. In a previous post, we highlighted the draft proposals from the UK government for the addition of messages urging smokers to quit onto cigarette packs. According to the NHS, around 76,000 people in the UK die from smoking annually. The new proposal aims to help 30,000 smokers in the country give up the habit, along with saving the federal government as much as £1.6 billion in well-being expenses.
This shift away from consuming cigarettes and tobacco products and onto smoking cessation and improving public health can be seen in the US as well. Earlier this year, final guidance from the FDA emphasizes the importance of developing NRT drug products to help stop smoking. While there are several FDA-approved prescription and non-prescription NRT drug products on the market today, including nicotine gum and mouth sprays, the FDA stated that they would like to see even more products on the market aiming to help more smokers quit.
Through the newly issued guidance, the FDA hopes to encourage and support continued innovation in NRT development by providing detail and clarity on product development strategies. Some of the changes in the FDA guidance include coverage of the type of clinical studies necessary to support approval and the considerations for early-phase clinical development to ensure that new NRT products are safe and effective in improving smoking cessation.
