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SALT LAKE CITY — Several Utahns are backing an inhaler product aimed at helping people quit smoking.
An alternative to the nicotine patch or gum, e-Nicotine Technology uses an inhaler-type device to deliver a dose of nicotine to a person’s system as they quit smoking. The company touts it as a clean method of administering more nicotine than a patch or gum, without the harmful chemicals found in a cigarette.
“You have to make it easier, you have to make it safer, and you have to increase the likelihood that someone won’t go back to cigarettes,” Jeffrey Williams, President and CEO of e-Nicotine said.
The company was founded by Williams and two other men who had previous experience working for an addiction and drug company. While some of the key players are based in Alpine, they are mostly scattered across the United States. Financial backing, however, comes from big-name Utahns like Fraser Bullock, Ron Mika, Don Watkins and Jeremy Andrus.
The device is about the size of a small cellphone, with removable cartridges. Each cartridge contains the equivalent of about 10 packs of cigarettes. The device tracks use, measuring the dosage and frequency of administration on both the device and an app, with a security lock.
Justin Bingham, vice president of marketing and corporate development, said the device administers enough nicotine that it is “not an appealing product to those who are not already addicted to nicotine.” He also said it will lock people out if it detects a person is using it too often.
e-Nicotene Technology has not yet begun clinical trials.
