Anyone who has tried to quit smoking knows the sheer agony that comes with it. So the last thing a smoker likely wants to hear is the phrase, “There’s an app for that.”
But a growing group of entrepreneurs believe tech gadgets coupled with mobile apps can play a part in helping smokers ditch the cigarette once and for all—or at least cut down on their smoking. They are promising a new wave of products like wireless lighters that track activity, e-cigarettes that measure nicotine intake and apps that test the breath for carbon-monoxide levels.
The digital push follows new safety findings released last year by the Food and Drug Administration that over-the-counter nicotine-replacement therapies—namely, patches, gum and lozenges—can safely be used with other smoking-cessation products, and even cigarettes. Now marketers can encourage smokers to try several products at once.
Most of the startups are marketing their products as aids that can help boost the effectiveness of nicotine-replacement therapies rather than as actual mechanisms for quitting. The distinction excuses the products from being considered medical items that require FDA testing and approval.
E-cigarettes fit in that nonmedical category. Sales doubled last year to more than $500 million, says research firm Mintel Group Ltd., though some analysts estimate that sales of e-cigarettes topped $1 billion. Meanwhile, the market for FDA-approved products—dominated by a few players like GlaxoSmithKlineGSK.LN -0.64% Consumer Healthcare, a division of GlaxoSmithKline PLC, maker of Nicorette gum and NicoDerm patches—was flat at about $1 billion, says Mintel.
Some in the medical community remain skeptical of the new products, noting that entrepreneurs promising new paths to cigarette-free lives may just be blowing smoke.
“If I had $100 for every new smoking-cessation device I’d be wealthy,” says Dr. Norman Edelman, a senior medical consultant with the American Lung Association and a professor of medicine and preventative medicine at Stony Brook University in New York. He says there is no evidence that any method works better than that recommended by the ALA, which involves working with a coach or finding an established self-help program—and using scientifically validated products that help address nicotine cravings.
The spate of new gadgets may seem gimmicky to some, but the startups say they can raise self-awareness of when and how smokers reach for their cigarettes.
Ata Ghofrani, co-creator of the digitized lighter Quitbit, says his product is like a scale for a dieter. “It helps let you know where you are in reaching your goal and can help to motivate you,” he says.
The Quitbit, slated to retail in December for $150, connects wirelessly using Bluetooth to a mobile app that monitors when and how often smokers light up. A small digital screen displays messages of encouragement and identifies how many cigarettes are consumed each day and how long it has been since smokers last lit up. The app display charts that can challenge users to hold out longer between cigarettes.
Mr. Ghofrani and Takuji Nakano, who co-founded Quitbit last year while they were students at Brown University struggling to quit smoking, say users will soon be able to set the lighter to delay firing up for two minutes, giving a chance to reconsider smoking. Smokers also will be able to program the lighter to only work a set number of times per day and only at certain intervals of time.
The co-founders have raised $175,000, in part from a business accelerator in China, where they developed the product and found manufacturers. Earlier this month, Quitbit successfully raised $55,000 in capital on crowdfunding site Kickstarter.
Mr. Ghofrani says Quitbit helped him quit smoking. “Kuji is still smoking because we need someone to still smoke so we can continue to test the product,” he says.
Entrepreneur Alex Prot is taking the conventional e-cigarette further by connecting it through Bluetooth to a mobile app to help people monitor their intake of the vaporized nicotine, ideally tapering use over time.
Smokio, his Paris-based company launched the e-cigarette in January and sold out the first batch of “several thousand,” Mr. Prot says. The starter kit costs €80 ($100). An expanded product line is now sold on Amazon.com in the U.K., France and Germany, and can be purchased in the U.S. from the company’s website.
“This is a huge market, in Europe especially, where we estimate that 10% of smokers are using e-cigs,” Mr. Prot says.
Beyond the digital cigarettes and lighters is a lighter-size wireless device in development called the IntelliQuit that measures carbon monoxide in a smoker’s breath. Carbon monoxide levels indicate the amount of smoking-related toxins in the body—and they decrease as consumption is reduced. The device connects to an app that uses voice-recognition technology to log when and where smokers are choosing to indulge.
When users choose to smoke, they speak “smoking a cigarette” into their phone, and the app records the time of day, the smoker’s location and velocity—smoking often takes place while driving in the car in traffic, says IntelliQuit’s co-founder, Matthew Bars, who heads up smoking-cessation programs for New York’s fire department. The app then helps smokers recognize patterns and vulnerabilities, and sends reminders via text message.
Mr. Bars says he just completed a prototype of the IntelliQuit device and plans to start a crowdfunding campaign.
Those already in the market are watching the new devices closely. “We believe smokers should have access to as many options as possible to find the right way to quit, but they need to be options that are proven to be safe and effective,” says Deborah Bolding, spokeswoman for GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare.
Write to Katherine Rosman at katherine.rosman@wsj.com
Source : http://online.wsj.com/articles/smokers-draw-on-apps-to-quit-1402960734
