MILWAUKEE, WI – Smoke-Break Inc., creator of the “liquid nicotine dispenser,” has been awarded a US Patent for its delivery device. The dispenser, also known as a “liquid cigarette,” is a plastic tube which resembles an unlit cigarette, and contains a fruit-flavored nicotine gel. Users consume the liquid by lifting the tube to their mouths, and sipping, much like they would draw on a cigarette.

The delivery device will be used to promote Smoke-Break, which achieved an unprecedented smoking cessation rate of 71% after 12 weeks in an FDA-approved clinical study conducted in 2008. The results were published earlier this year in the medical journal, BMC Public Health.

“I am very encouraged by the results achieved by this new delivery device,” said James Kepner, V.P. of Statistics & Evaluation for the American Cancer Society. “A breakthrough like this could save tens of thousands of lives on an annual basis.”

The published article can be accessed at Biomedcentral.com.

Cigarette smoking represents the single most avoidable cause of premature death in the United States, and is responsible for at least 443,000 deaths annually. According to the American Heart Association, more than 45 million Americans smoke cigarettes, and 80% of those smokers would like to quit.

A long-sought solution to this deadly addiction may soon be found in Smoke-Break, a nicotine-replacement product currently under review by the FDA. According to Dr. Carl E. Olson, an oncologist and sponsor of the clinical study, a meeting with Smoke-Break Inc. and the FDA is scheduled for November 2010, to discuss making the device available to smokers as an over-the-counter (OTC) smoking-cessation product.