Smoking Substitute From Star

Source from:  Tobacco Reporter 08/09/2010

Star Scientific said yesterday that it had launched CigRx(TM), a smoking-substitute product. CigRx, which has been developed by the company's Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals subsidiary and launched in greater Richmond, Virginia, is described as a dietary supplement. It is a mint-flavored lozenge that dissolves in the mouth and is swallowed. It contains neither nicotine nor tobacco but was developed for adult dependent smokers. "CigRx(TM) temporarily reduces the urge to smoke using a unique combination of dietary ingredients: anatabine is an alkaloid found in plants that are members of the Solinaceae family including tobacco, eggplant, green tomatoes and potatoes," the company said in a note posted on its website. "It appears to interact with some of the neurotransmitter cells in the brain in a way that mimics what occurs when a person smokes a cigarette." "Anatabine has been combined with an extract of the leaves of the yerba mate tree to temporarily reduce the urge to light a cigarette in any environment where smoking is prohibited or unacceptable. Yerba mate is a small evergreen tree that is native to South America. Its leaves are used to brew a tea beverage that is consumed by millions of people on that continent, and it recently has become popular in the United States as well." "Those who drink the beverage believe that it provides them a variety of benefits. This combination of dietary ingredients is intended to temporarily reduce the urge to smoke." Enditem