Technology

Game-changing behavioral support at your fingertips

Nicotrax, a digital health organization, focuses on creating data-driven, customized, and scalable software programs to better treat addiction by applying predictive and powerful AI, and a seamless user experience 

Nicotine  is  known  to  be  the  main  addictive substance  in  cigarettes  and  other  forms  of tobacco and a drug affecting many parts of a smoker’s body. As time passes, the smoker’s brain and body gets used to having it in cigarettes. Around 80 per cent to 90 per cent smokers are addicted to nicotine. Nicotine works on the smoker’s brain within 10 seconds of entering the body and causes brain to release adrenaline, creating a buzz of energy with pleasure. 

However, this mixture of fun is short lived. Overtime the smoker’s body has already built up a high tolerance to nicotine so that their amount of cigarette per day increases, turning them into addiction. Moreover, when a person does not smoke, they may have withdrawal symptoms as during that time their body is fighting to get used to nicotine free mode. Withdrawal symptoms include sadness, grumpiness, and restlessness, moody and so on. 

 While more than one-fifth of the world’s population smokes, the global next generation products market is predicted to double between 2016-2021. The NGP market was estimated to be worth $12.3 billion in 2016, a 34 per cent increase on the previous year, while the oral tobacco and nicotine market is worth an estimated $12.5 billion. Recent estimates for the global tobacco market indicate it is worth approximately $760 billion (excluding China). More than $680 billion of this comes from the sale of conventional cigarettes, with around 5,500 billion cigarettes consumed per year. 

 The tobacco industry remains a substantial contributor to the economies of many countries and the livelihoods of millions of people across the globe, including farmers, retailers and those employed in the tobacco supply chain. Overall industry volume is estimated to have declined in 2017, and this is expected to continue as the sale of illicit cigarettes continues to rise, regulation increases further and alternative, potentially reduced-risk products continue to develop. 

 Smoking cassation market 

 The global smoking cessation and nicotine de-addiction products market was valued at $ 11,285.7 million in 2015 and is expected to witness a moderate CAGR of 17.3 per cent during the forecast period (2016–2024), according to Global Smoking Cessation & Nicotine De-addiction Products Market Size and Forecast, US$ Million and Y-o-Y Growth (%), 2014–2024. 

 The global smoking cessation market is growing due to growing awareness about health problems associated with smoking and growing acceptance rate of smoking cessation products. On the basis of products, the electronic cigarette segment is expected to grow with the fastest rate during the forecasted period. Nicotine gums led the nicotine replacement therapy market; however, the nicotine lozenges are expected to grow with the fastest rate during the projected period. 

 The innovation of products with better efficacy is also expected to pose as an opportunity for growth of the market. The massive unexplored market of smoking cessation industry in the developing economies is creating abundant growth opportunities for the global market. Some of the factors driving the growth of the global smoking cessation market are increasing number of smokers, stringent laws for smoking such as ban on smoking in public place, increasing government initiatives by distribution of smoking cessation products and higher taxes on tobacco products. 

 In addition, the increasing initiatives to create awareness about smoking health hazards, increasing incidence of lung cancer and other diseases such as cardiac diseases and respiratory disorders due to smoking, and increasing research and development for innovation of smoking cessation products are also fueling the growth of the global market. 

Nicotine works on the smoker’s brain within 10 seconds of entering the body and causes brain to release adrenaline, creating a buzz of energy with pleasure. However, this mixture of fun is short lived. Overtime the smoker’s body has already built up a high tolerance to nicotine so that their amount of cigarette per day increases, turning them into addiction. 

 Nicotrax is a digital health organization, which focuses on creating data-driven, customized, and scalable software programs to better treat addiction. Their vision is to apply predictive, behavioral analytics, powerful AI, and a seamless user experience to treatments for a variety of additional diseases and conditions. 

However, the reluctance in adoption of smoking cessation products, strict regulatory requirements for electronic cigarette as medical device, restrictions and bans on the usage of electronic cigarette, and lack of awareness of nicotine de-addiction products are some of the factors restraining the growth of the global market. 

 MediWorldME recently met with Kyle Linton, CEO of Nicotrax to discuss how Nicotrax is a forefront in treating and preventing dependence and addiction with predictive, behavioral analytics and powerful AI. 

 AI-driven program 

 According to the new market research report ‘Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare Market by Offering (Hardware, 

Software and Services), Technology (Deep Learning, Querying Method, NLP, and Context Aware Processing), Application, End-User Industry, and Geography – Global Forecast to 2022′, is expected to grow from $667.1 million in 2016 to $7,988.8 million by 2022, at a CAGR of 52.68 per cent during the forecast period. 

 The growing usage of big data in the healthcare industry, ability of AI to improve patient outcomes, imbalance between health workforce and patients, reducing the healthcare costs, growing importance on precision medicine, cross-industry partnerships, and significant increase in venture capital investments are expected to drive the AI in healthcare market. 

 Nicotrax is a digital health organization, which focuses on creating data-driven, customized, and scalable software programs to better treat addiction. Their vision is to apply predictive, behavioral analytics, powerful AI, and a seamless user experience to treatments for a variety of additional diseases and conditions. 

The global smoking cessation market is growing due to growing awareness about health problems associated with smoking and growing acceptance rate of smoking cessation products. On the basis of products, the electronic cigarette segment is expected to grow with the fastest rate during the forecasted period. 

 “Through our proprietary system, we can combine the most efficacious treatments (habit tracking, behavioral support, and customized drug-delivery) into one simplified program for users, which eases treatment and ensures the highest level of success. Our first product focused on Nicotine addiction and is currently being tested. By distributing a simplified and intelligent system to users, we believe that we can make a major impact within the field of preventative care. 

 “We believe the most effective treatments are the ones that are personalized to each user and their unique behaviors. Our technology focuses on understanding the patterns of each smoker and customizing treatment that caters to their needs,” said Linton. 

Scalable solutions 

 At the forefront of the Nicotrax smoking cessation program is the Nicotrax mobile app, designed with users in mind. The company has encapsulated their game-changing AI and real-time support system into a simple, seamless interface, allowing users to track their behavior, completes weekly challenges, and much more. 

 “We utilize the power of technology, we have the ability to understand individual usage patterns and provide treatments. Users no longer have to go into a local clinic to receive cessation support that is both an inconvenience and not customized. The entire treatment process can be through the user’s smart phone. 

 “With the proliferation of smartphone technology and behavior tracking devices, we saw an opportunity to create software to collect more data about smoking patterns and provide treatment. We felt there was an untapped opportunity to collect and leverage smoking data (which has not been collected previously) to create more customized treatment programs,” added Linton. 

 Forefront treating addiction 

 There are several things that make smoking addictive. The first of which is Nicotine, which is prevalent in cigarettes and other forms of tobacco. Nicotine provides users with a rush of endorphins after use. Additionally, the act of smoking can also create habit patterns for smokers. Users often closely associate smoking with beverages, leisure, or stress and thus have more than just a chemical addiction. 

 “Personally, I have always had an interest in both health and technology. When I was in college I became a personal trainer so that I could help people on a 1 on 1 level. Recognizing that my level of impact would be low, I wanted to create a product that could reach millions. With smoking being the leading cause of preventable disease and death, I saw an opportunity to make a large impact.” 

 According to Linton, there are many different stages of addiction: “Our goal is to help users better understand the different stages of addiction and what treatments are available at each stage. Our goal is to work directly with large employers and insurance companies to distribute our technology to a broader market. By working with insurance companies to create insurance incentives and employee benefits for users, we can reduce the barriers to entering a quitting smoking program and ultimately quitting. These partnerships also provide a quicker path to reach many smokers.”