Kind Consumer

Kind Consumer Ltd (Kind Consumer or “Kind”)
Kind Consumer Ltd
Private company
Industry Pharmaceuticals
Medical Devices
Medical Research and Development
Founded London, United Kingdom 2006
Founder Alex Hearn
Headquarters London, England, UK
Key people
 Paul Triniman
(Chief Executive Officer)
Alex Hearn
(Founder, Chief Product Officer)
Dr Chris Moyses
(Chief Medical Officer)
Products Voke
Number of employees
 15
Website http://www.kindconsumer.com

Kind Consumer Limited is a UK-based healthcare company which focuses on developing novel inhalation technologies to address tobacco harm reduction. The company was founded in 2006 by Alex Hearn, a British inventor and entrepreneur based in London[1][2][3]

Inhaled Nicotine Delivery

Product Development Rationale

The development rationale of inhaler technology is to provide a novel format of nicotine delivery[4] which offers smokers a more acceptable alternative to the tobacco cigarette to help them cut down, substitute and quit - a concept known as tobacco harm reduction.

The health burden of tobacco usage and in particular tobacco smoking is very well known. Tobacco smoking is a major global health epidemic with an estimated 1.3 billion individuals regularly smoking tobacco products across the world, predominantly cigarettes.[5] It is well established that the key pharmacological element of tobacco addiction is the delivery of nicotine to the brain, leading to the release of a range of neurotransmitters such as dopamine which yield powerful feelings of “reward” and “pleasure” to the individual.[6] The tobacco cigarette is a highly efficient nicotine delivery system that achieves rapid pulmonary delivery and sharp increases in the nicotine concentration in both arterial and venous blood. Although nicotine is the predominant addictive chemical in tobacco smoke, it is the other (approximately 4000) chemicals, including carcinogenic agents in the particulate phase, that lead to the well-established adverse health consequences of smoking.[6] The World Health Organisation estimates that tobacco usage killed around 5.4 million people a year and by 2030 projections estimate this figure will rise to around 8.3 million deaths per year.[5]

Existing Regulatory Approved Nicotine Delivery Products

It has been argued that long-term success rates of existing NRT in smoking cessation remain low, with a recent study showing that only 6.75% of smokers receiving NRT therapy attained sustained abstinence for six months, albeit twice the rate of placebo treatment.[7]

As an explanation for these findings it has been argued that the major limitation with delivery of nicotine by current nicotine replacement therapy products is that they do not provide smokers with the combination of a rapid delivery of nicotine and the unique respiratory tract sensory cues of inhaled nicotine (particularly upper airway irritation) which together are of primary importance in relieving craving for cigarettes.[8] The nicotine nasal spray does achieve rapid delivery of nicotine but lacks the inhalational cues of cigarettes and has demonstrated limited acceptability due to the local irritant effects of nicotine on the nasal mucosa.[9] The nicotine vapour Inhaler, although simulating the behavioural aspects of smoking and presenting some sensory cues, delivers nicotine very much slower than a cigarette.[9]

Voke

Kind Consumer's inhaler technology “Voke” was designed to provide the combination of a rapid delivery of nicotine and the unique respiratory tract sensory cues of inhaled nicotine which together are of primary importance in relieving craving for nicotine. The idea took 13 years to develop and was the brainchild of Alex Hearn, an asthmatic Oxford graduate whose parents smoked and who went through more than 800 prototypes before settling on a design.[10]

The Voke Inhaler contains a micro-valve which is activated by the user inhaling, and unlike an e-cigarette, does not need electronics, batteries or heat to produce a hit of nicotine.[11] Since it uses inhaler technology to deliver the nicotine, the Voke administers a precise dose of the drug which does not contain the tar, tobacco or other substances found in regular cigarettes.[12]

In late 2010, Kind Consumer agreed an exclusive development and distribution agreement with Nicoventures Limited (later renamed Nicovations Limited) a wholly owned subsidiary of British American Tobacco plc.[13]

In September 2014, Voke became the first simulated cigarette to be authorised by the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) as a nicotine replacement therapy (NRT).[14] The device is seen as a competitor to both e-cigarettes and nicotine-replacement therapies, such as gum and patches, as well as Johnson & Johnson's existing Nicorette Inhalator, which is not designed as an imitation cigarette.[11]

In January 2017 following a number of postponed and aborted launch schedules due to manufacturing failures, the development and distribution agreement with Nicovations Limited was terminated by mutual agreement with all intellectual property, manufacturing, marketing and branding rights awarded to Kind Consumer.[15] As of 2017, the information is not available yet for when the product will be launched.

As a medicinal product, Voke can be prescribed by doctors as a safer alternative to smoking. It is also on the General Sales List and will also be available to buy over the counter.[16]

Voke is used to relieve and/or prevent cravings and nicotine withdrawal symptoms associated with tobacco dependence. It is indicated to aid smokers wishing to quit or reduce prior to quitting, to assist smokers who are unwilling or unable to smoke, and as a safer alternative to smoking for smokers and those around them.[16] More details can be found in the product’s Public Assessment Report (PAR) on the UK’s MHRA.

Notable Investors

Kind Consumer has attracted investment from a large British investment trust and a number of notable high-profile angel investors:[15]

References

  1. ↑ Start Uploaded (2011) - Alex Hearn introduces Kind Consumer
  2. ↑ realbusiness (2011) -Alex Hearn: entrepreneur with “soul”
  3. 1 2 3 realbusiness (2011) - Idea of the week: the healthy cigarette
  4. ↑ The Independent newspaper (2011) - Revolution in smoking aims to stub out cigarettes – with the help of tobacco firms
  5. 1 2 WHO (2007) - Gender and Tobacco Control: A Policy Brief
  6. 1 2 Royal College of Physicians (2007) Harm reduction in Nicotine Addiction: Helping People who Can't Quit. A report by the Tobacco Advisory Group of the Royal College of Physicians Archived 2010-11-30 at WebCite
  7. ↑ Moore et al. (2009) - Effectiveness and safety of nicotine replacement therapy assisted reduction to stop smoking: systematic review and meta-analysis, BMJ, Vol. 338, No. 7699, Apr. 11, 2009
  8. ↑ Rose (1988) - The role of upper airway stimulation in smoking Prog Clin Biol Res. 1988;261:95-106.
  9. 1 2 Schneider et al. 1996 - Clinical Pharmacokinetics of Nasal Nicotine Delivery A review and comparison to other nicotine systems, Clin Pharmacokinet. 1996 Jul;31(1):65-80
  10. ↑ Times Newspaper (2014) - E-cigarette rival wins medical approval
  11. 1 2 Hirschler, Ben (12 September 2013). "UPDATE 2-BAT's novel e-cigarette rival wins UK medical approval". Reuters. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  12. ↑ Roland, Denise (12 September 2013). "Is this the world's first medically-approved 'cigarette'?". The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  13. ↑ "Have scientists finally created a 'safe' cigarette? New inhaler is 'real alternative' to electronic devices". Daily Mail. 7 July 2011.
  14. ↑ https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/nicotine-inhaler-is-first-device-of-its-kind-to-be-licensed-as-medicine-in-britain-9730012.html
  15. 1 2 Kind Consumer Website (2013) - History
  16. 1 2 "Voke's Public Assessment Report" (PDF). MHRA.
  17. ↑ Woodford Patient Capital Trust Website (2015) Patient Capital Trust update, July 2015
  18. ↑ Express newspaper (2011) - Sir Terry Leahy’s nicotine fix
  19. ↑ The Independent newspaper(2011) - Leahy invests in 'safe' tobacco (after Tesco made a killing on cigarettes)
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