Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the efficacy of smoking cessation (a) products and (b) approaches; and what research his Department has commissioned into the efficacy of smoking cessation (i) products and (ii) approaches.

The assessment of the efficacy of smoking cessation products and approaches are presented in the evidence review for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline ‘Tobacco: preventing uptake, promoting quitting and treating dependence’ published 30 November 2021 available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng209/evidence/evidence-reviews-11188110061?tab=evidence

Through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the Department regularly commissions research into the efficacy of smoking cessation products and approaches. Active NIHR projects include:

- Effectiveness of Electronic Cigarettes compared with combination nicotine replacement therapy for smoking cessation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease And effect on Lung health (ECAL study);

- Effects of e-cigarettes vs usual care for smoking cessation when offered at homeless centres: A cluster randomised controlled trial;

- Cessation of Smoking Trial in the Emergency Department (CoSTED); and

- Do e-cigarettes help smokers quit when not accompanied by intensive behavioural support?

The NIHR is also the largest funder of the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group which conducts systematic reviews of the evidence on interventions to prevent and treat tobacco addiction.