REVIEW PAPER
Vaping cessation interventions: A narrative review of randomized controlled trials
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1
Centre for Clinical Epidemiology, Lady Davis Institute, Jewish General Hospital/McGill University, Montreal, Canada
2
Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
3
Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
4
Division of Cardiology, Jewish General Hospital/McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Submission date: 2026-03-18
Final revision date: 2026-05-28
Acceptance date: 2026-05-31
Publication date: 2026-07-23
Corresponding author
Mark J. Eisenberg
Divisions of
Cardiology and Clinical
Epidemiology, Jewish General
Hospital/McGill University, 3755
Côte Ste-Catherine Road, Suite
H-421.1, Montreal, Quebec,
Canada
Tob. Prev. Cessation 2026;12(July):46
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
The increasing prevalence of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use, particularly
among young individuals, has led to a pressing need for effective vaping
cessation interventions. We conducted a narrative review of published
and ongoing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating behavioral,
pharmacological, and combination interventions aimed at vaping cessation
among adolescents and adults using e-cigarettes. PubMed, Google Scholar, and
ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from 2004 (year of first e-cigarette patent)
to 27 April 2025. The outcome of interest was abstinence from vaping at the
maximum follow-up and results were synthesized narratively. A total of 11
RCTs, involving 8182 participants, were identified. These trials investigated
behavioral therapy, including tailored text messaging support (n=4), nicotine
replacement therapy (NRT) (n=3), varenicline (n=3), and cytisine (n=1).
Studies were published between 2021 and 2025, with follow-up ranging from
1 to 24 months, and most focused on adults or young adults. Behavioral
interventions, particularly text messaging programs, showed potential to support
vaping cessation beyond 6 months, although findings were inconsistent across
trials. Varenicline demonstrated promise as a pharmacological aid; however,
available RCTs had small sample sizes and short follow-up periods, limiting
the strength of the evidence. None of the RCTs investigating the efficacy of
NRT (567 participants) or cytisine (160 participants) demonstrated superiority
over control following treatment discontinuation. Fourteen ongoing RCTs were
also identified, most of which are evaluating behavioral approaches in younger
populations. Overall, the current evidence base for vaping cessation remains
limited, highlighting the need for larger, high-quality trials with longer follow-up
to establish effective interventions across diverse populations.
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
The authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of
Potential Conflicts of Interest and none was reported.
FUNDING
There was no source of funding for this research.
ETHICAL APPROVAL AND INFORMED CONSENT
Ethical approval was not required as per the TriCouncil Policy Statement
(2022), Article 2.2, which exempts research that relies exclusively on publicly
available information. Human Ethics and Consent to Participate declarations:
not applicable.
DATA AVAILABILITY
The data supporting this research are available from the authors on
reasonable request.
AUTHORS' CONTRIBUTIONS
All authors made substantial contributions to the study. TZ, AM, AL and
MJE: conceptualized and designed the review. TZ, AM and AL: drafted the
manuscript. MJE: critically revised the manuscript. All authors read and
approved the final version of the manuscript.
PROVENANCE AND PEER REVIEW
Not commissioned; externally peer-reviewed.
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