Switching from cigarettes to glo shows positive long-term effects: BAT

BAT Rothmans Head of Regulatory Science Sharon Goodall speaks during a virtual press conference held at a hotel in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of BAT Rothmans

By Kim Jae-heun

Researchers from BAT Rothman unveiled new data Tuesday showing the positive long-term effects of switching completely from cigarettes to glo, BAT's tobacco heating product (THP).

This is is the first yearlong study on glo to assess the impact of switching entirely from cigarettes to THPs for adult consumers in a real-world setting.

“This study's results are the most important data we have ever generated about glo and for the tobacco heating category,” Sharon Goodall, head of Regulatory Science at BAT, said during a press conference held at a hotel in Seoul, Tuesday. “This real-world study allows us to assess the changes that adult smokers switching exclusively to glo experience, by assessing early indicators of potential harm associated with disease development.”

The randomized controlled study involved more than 500 U.K.-based adult smokers aged 23 to 55 in good general health. The study divided the participants into four groups: never-smokers as a control group, ex-smokers, smokers who carried on smoking and smokers who switched completely to glo.

It examined, on a monthly basis, the biomarkers for exposure to selected cigarette smoke toxicants and indicators of potential harm thought to be linked to the early development of certain diseases.

Researchers measured 58 biochemical, physiological and psychometric endpoints, which equated to around 144,000 individual measurements.

In addition, to ensure that those in the study who had stopped or switched were not still using cigarettes, the glo and cessation groups were tested for CEVal, a biomarker which can indicate if they smoked cigarettes.?

The results showed that smokers switching exclusively to glo achieved significant and sustained improvements in several indicators of potential harm associated with early disease development compared to those who continued to smoke. This includes early indicators for lung disease, cancer and cardiovascular disease.

The improvements observed, with some being comparable to stopping smoking completely, were sustained over the 12 months of the study, adding to the weight of the evidence that supports glo as a less-risky alternative for adult smokers who would not otherwise quit.

BAT has also conducted over 200 chemical tests and 75 biological tests on glo, which have shown that the toxic compounds produced by burning tobacco either can't be detected or are significantly reduced in glo products. While glo is not risk-free and nicotine is addictive, the aerosol contains 90 percent to 95 percent less toxicants compared to cigarette smoke.

“The study provides much-needed new evidence about the size of the change and durability of the effect switching completely to glo can have and reinforces glo's potential as a reduced-risk product. This study is a very important milestone in our journey to building a better tomorrow,” Goodall said.