August 26, 2026

Updated Cochrane review on vaping for quitting smoking

Cochrane have published an update of their review looking at trials examining smoking cessation tools – including vaping, nicotine gums, nicotine patches, behavioural support, and no support at all.

The new analysis is part of an ongoing living systematic review that is updated as new evidence becomes available.  This update has examined 80 randomised controlled trials involving 29,861 participants – including nine new trials which weren’t in the last version of the review.

The review determines the certainty of the evidence, and makes conclusions about which methods work best at helping people stop smoking according to that evidence.

Journalists dialled in to this briefing to hear from authors of the review and to ask their questions.

Speakers included:

Dr Nicola Lindson, lead author of the review; and Associate Professor at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford

Dr Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, senior author of the review; and Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management, University of Massachusetts Amherst

This Briefing was accompanied by an SMC Roundup.