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Updated: Jan 7, 2026
06:07
Cigarette Smoke Exposure in Mice using a Whole-Body Inhalation System
Published on: October 22, 2020
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Slow-release L-cysteine Lozenges in Smoking Cessation: Meta-analysis of Two Randomized Controlled Trials
Kari Syrjänen1,2, Osmo Suovaniemi3
1Department of Clinical Research, Biohit Oyj, Helsinki, Finland; kasyrja@saunalahti.fi.
In Vivo (Athens, Greece)
|January 2, 2026
Summary
Acetium® lozenge significantly increases smoking cessation success by 1.5-fold compared to placebo. This L-cysteine formulation targets acetaldehyde in saliva, reducing nicotine addiction for smokers.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Addiction Medicine
- Clinical Trials
Background:
- Cigarette smoke contains acetaldehyde, a substance linked to enhanced nicotine addiction.
- Slow-release L-cysteine aims to eliminate salivary acetaldehyde.
- Acetium® lozenge is a novel intervention for smoking cessation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the hypothesis that eliminating acetaldehyde with L-cysteine reduces nicotine addiction.
- To evaluate the efficacy of Acetium® lozenge in smoking cessation through meta-analysis.
Main Methods:
- A meta-analysis of two randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 2,421 smokers.
- Participants were allocated to Acetium® lozenge or placebo.
- Random-effects meta-analysis was used to compute summary effect sizes for intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol (PP) groups.
Main Results:
- Acetium® lozenge showed increased efficacy over placebo in both ITT and PP groups across studies.
- Meta-analysis revealed statistically significant efficacy for Acetium® in both ITT (OR=1.29) and PP (OR=1.53) analyses.
- The summary estimate indicated a 1.5-fold increase in the likelihood of successful smoking cessation.
Conclusions:
- Acetium® lozenge significantly increases the likelihood of successful smoking cessation compared to placebo.
- The findings support the use of Acetium® as an adjunct therapy for smoking cessation.
- Further research may be warranted, but current data provide clear support for the intervention's efficacy.
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