Yet, the growing market may come as a threat to the profits of pharmaceutical companies that market various smoking cessation tools. At present, their products bring huge profits, especially considering the fact that just 7 percent of smokers quit with the help of nicotine gums and patches. Many of the failed quitters in the West will try other smoking cessation aids in their repeated attempts to stay smoke-free. At that, the sale of prescription and various marketed cessation tools totaled more than $3 billion on a global scale. Moreover, the companies are constantly developing new products such as nicotine vaccines.

Their target market is increasingly shifting to China, Brazil, Russia, and India where half of the smoking community lives. Yet, these countries yield low per capita revenues from the sale of smoking cessation aids. The e-cigarette comes as a cheaper alternative that may attract smokers in the four states. It is obvious that pharmaceutical companies will be hardly pleased to see their market shares dwindling with regard to this huge potential market.

Furthermore, the pharmaceutical companies spend millions to fund research on the hazards of tobacco products. They will naturally support the ban on smoking and the activities of anti-smoking organizations. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, for instance, calls for higher pre-pack taxes and clean indoor air legislation. On the other hand, the foundation is said to have a share of $700 million in one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies.

It is clear that the profits of pharmaceutical companies may be under threat if the market for electronic cigarettes flourishes. Ultimately, consumers will be the ones who choose among the large array of smoking cessation aids and the alternatives to conventional tobacco products.