3rd Smoking Cessation Conference

Day One, Tuesday 29th September 2009

09:30 Registration and refreshments

10:00 Opening address from the chair

Dr. George Uhl
Chief-Molecular Neurobiology Research Branch
NIDA/NIH, US Govt.

10:10 Case study: Translating research into practice: The development of the American Cancer Society’s Smokers’ Quitline
• Developing an intervention based on research
- Evidence base for quitlines prior to 2000
- 1st American Cancer Society (ACS) randomized clinical trial (RCT)
• Creating and modifying the ACS Quitline
- Role of RCT’s
- Role of post hoc analyses
- Role of empirical research
- Later RCT’s

Dr. Vance Rabius
Senior Scientist, American Cancer Society
Professor of Public Health, University of Texas School of Public Health

10:50 NicVAX- a promising smoking cessation vaccine
• Epidemic problem of nicotine addiction
• Current therapies and their shortcomings
• Novel approach to smoking cessation; nicotine vaccines
• NicVAX mechanism of action and proof of concept

Raafat Fahim
President& Chief Executive Officer
Nabi Biopharmaceuticals

11:30 Morning refreshments

11:50 Genetic influences on smoking cessation success
• There are large heritable influences on smoking cessation
• Molecular genetic results now tell us that much of this influence is likely to come from subtle individual differences in the brain
• Applying molecular genetics to smoking cessation trials can provide large benefits
• Using molecular genetics (and other clinical features) to match individuals with treatments

Dr. George Uhl
Chief-Molecular Neurobiology Research Branch
NIDA/NIH

12:30 Antidepressants for smoking cessation: The curious case of bupropion
• Review efficacy of various antidepressant medications, including bupropion, for smoking cessation
• Examine evidence indicating mechanisms whereby bupropion aids smoking cessation, including withdrawal and craving relief, as well as effects on mood and affect
• Discuss future directions for cessation research including pharmacogenetic studies of bupropion efficacy

Prof. Raymond Niaura
Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior,
The Warren Alpert Medical School, Transdisciplinary Research
Brown University

13:10 Networking lunch

14:10 Genetic risk prediction and smoking cessation: A Review
• New personalized strategies are now available to augment existing public health measures for smoking cessation.
• Smoking cessation requires smokers to believe the benefits of quitting out weigh the harms of continuing to smoke.
• Gene based risk tools are now available to identify smokers and ex-smokers at greatest risk of lung cancer
• Studies to date show that smokers are receptive to these gene based risk tools and help smokers quit.
• Smoking cessation remains the single most cost effective intervention for patients.

W. Jeffrey Allard
Director of Clinical Affairs
Synergenz Bioscience

14:30 Adolescent tobacco use and cessation
• Tobacco use among adolescents
• Interventions to prevent use and promote cessation
• Motivating adolescents to quit smoking
• Future directions

Dr. Suchitra Krishnan
Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry
Vice-Chair, Human Investigations Committee II
Yale University School of Medicine

15:10 Afternoon refreshments

15:30 Smoking cessation among pregnant women
• Cigarette smoking during pregnancy
• Use of incentives to promote smoking cessation
• Foetal health benefits of maternal smoking abstinence

Dr. Steve Higgins
Professor of Psychology, Professor of Psychiatry
University of Vermont

16:10 Financial incentives and smoking cessation

Dr. Kevin Volpp
Director, Center for Health Incentives, Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics
Associate Professor, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the Wharton School

16:50 Closing remarks from the chair

17:00 Networking drinks
Take your discussions further and build new relationships in a relaxed and informal setting 

Day Two, Wednesday 30th September 2009

09:30 Registration and refreshments

10:00 Opening address from the chair

10:10 American Lung Association: Creating a new approach to smoking cessation
Quitter in You- A new cessation program to help provide motivated smokers who want to quit with the support they need to successfully quit for good 
• Change personal attitudes about cessation and convince smokers to quit for good through an integrated communications effort including:
- Digital media 
- National media 
- PSAs 
- Research data from Porter Novelli Health Styles 
• Engage local communities and coalitions with events and activities that encourage smokers to quit for good 
• Build sustainable systems that make it possible for all ALA chapters to implement the program

Chuck Connor
President and CEO 
American Lung Association

Gary Stockman
CEO
Porter Novelli

10:50 Clinical approach to nicotine addiction 

Dr. Frank Thomas Leone
Associate Professor of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania

11:30 Morning refreshments

11:50 Effective approaches to overcome the specific challenges of working with minority ethnic smokers
• The need for pharma-based approaches to cessation may also not be recognised, with people believing that it is just a matter of willpower, for this reason different approaches to smoking cessation campaigns are needed:
- effective approaches will require community support
- community leaders and religious leaders need to allow health issues to be discussed in community gatherings, they are also gatekeepers to places of worship
• The BHF has recognized this and we use various approaches, such as:
- involving the community
- social marketing
- training community workers

Qaim Zaidi
Ethic Strategy Coordinator
British Heart Foundation

12:30 Indigenous peoples, social determinants and health promotion practices
• The contemporary social matrix of traditional use of Pistax’kaan (tobacco), manufactured tobacco product addiction uses, historical legacies, transference of cultural systems of knowledge, culturally based program design will be examined
- Understand historical and cultural changes in indigenous tobacco use and manufactured tobacco product use in Indigenous communities
- Discuss development of advocacy and community mobilization strategies in international indigenous networks to promote self-determined optimum cultural health practices

Lori New Breast
CEO
Mahnokini and Associates

13:10 Networking lunch

14:30 Nicotine Replacement Therapy: Public health impact and future opportunities in combating a global epidemic
• Global Tobacco Epidemic 
• Contribution of NRT in smoking cessation success- clinical and public health impact 
• Overview of NRT dose forms: what works for whom
• Novel indications: reduced to quit, combination treatment and precessation NRT 
• Regulatory progress and opportunities 
• Future challenges and opportunities in achieving tobacco independence- smokeless tobacco?

Rajesh Mishra
Vice President R&D
GlaxoSmithKline

15:10 Breath CO monitoring: The Essential Diagnostic Tool for Smoking Cessation Treatment
The impact and history of its use in research, treatment and tobacco prevention education.
The argument for a diagnostic tool for use in the treatment of the leading cause of preventable death throughout the world - Smoking.
How it works and why it is the diagnostic tool of choice for so many

Jason Aversano
Sales and Marketing Director
Bedfont Scientific

15:40 Afternoon refreshments

16:00 Smoking with reduced reward as an aid to cessation
22nd Century has developed a new very low nicotine cigarette based on proprietary very low alkaloid tobacco and is evaluating its use as a smoking cessation aid
• Discussing potential advantages of very low nicotine cigarettes:
- May increase quit attempts because they are familiar to smokers, who may therefore be more willing to try them
- May change smoker’s perception of cigarettes;
- Low likelihood of new side effects
- Little or no compensation is observed at very low nicotine content

Michael Moynihan
Vice President, Research and Development
22nd Century Limited, LLC

16:20 Chair’s closing remarks

16:30 End of Conference