Pre-Clearance  |  Investigational Device

Rethinking
Nicotine Cessation

The NicX device beside its white pod unit, display showing lockout timer, hits, cycles, and nicotine reduced.
The Problem

14 million Americans want to quit vaping.

Users know the therapies on the shelf were never built for them. So they go it alone, cold turkey. There has to be a better way.

0
U.S. adults vape, and rising every year
Gallup 2025
0%
Of established users want to quit
PATH Study
0%
Of cold-turkey attempts succeed long term
Hughes et al., Addiction 2004
Introducing NicX

Structured Nicotine Control

NicX replaces impulsive nicotine use with a controlled, phased system. Five devices. Decreasing nicotine levels. Timed dosage windows. Enforced lockout periods. No willpower required.

The device does the work. You just follow the system.

Pipeline

The Road to Approval

De Novo through FDA's device center: the slow path, chosen on purpose. The grant creates a new device classification, and every follower must clear special controls we helped define.

We Are Here · Jul 2026
Scroll right for the full path →
NicX Device
Align · 2026
Build · 2027
Prove · 2027–28
Clear · 2029
Q3 2026
Pre-RFD to OCP
Device-metered dosing anchors CDRH lead
Q2 2027
Q-Sub Meeting, CDRH
Endpoints + special controls aligned
Q3 2027
IDE Cleared
V&V done, ISO 13485
Q4 2027 – Q4 2028
Pivotal RCT
Randomized, biochemically verified abstinence
Q1 2029
De Novo Submitted
eSTAR, CDRH
Q4 2029
De Novo Granted*
US market entry; scale 2030
Scroll right for the full path →
NicX AI
Q3 2026
Core App Build
Device pairing, protocol sync, progress tracking
Q4 2026
Coaching Engine
Deterministic rules layer; the device stays in control
Q1 2027
Beta Release
Companion app in real users' hands
Q2 2027
Adaptive Personalization
Pace tuned to each user, inside the protocol
2028
Clinical Integration
Validated within the pivotal program
In progress Ahead

*FDA marketing authorization is not guaranteed. NicX is an investigational product. It has not been evaluated, cleared, or approved by the FDA and is not available for sale. Dates are targets set with our regulatory consultant, sequenced to FDA Q-Sub and combination-product guidance, and will be refined with counsel; FDA's MDUFA goal for De Novo review is 150 days and our plan assumes roughly 250 including information requests. NicX AI is in development: features and timing may change, and any adaptive behavior ships only after validation inside the regulatory program. This is the path we intend to walk, not a commitment or a schedule.

Technology

Addiction Has Evolved.
Treatment Hasn't.

Nicotine delivery has become faster, more discreet, and increasingly potent. But cessation tools remain unchanged: patches, gums, and prescriptions that address chemistry while ignoring the behavioral loop that keeps people dependent.

Most people who try to quit do so without any structured support. The result is a failure rate above 90%.

The NicX device beside its pod. The screen shows a lockout countdown of 12:45, 8 of 20 hits used, 2 of 12 cycles completed, and 1,240 mg of nicotine reduced.
NicX device, current hardware revision
The Device

The rules live in the firmware.

Not in an app you can close. Not in a plan you can talk yourself out of. Every limit is enforced on the device itself. The screen just shows you where you stand.

Lockout

Time remaining until the device unlocks again. It counts down on its own. No skip, no reset, no override.

Hits

Draws used in the current session, against the limit set by your phase.

Cycles

Sessions completed today, against the daily allowance. When the last one closes, the day is done.

Nicotine Reduced

Total milligrams avoided since day one. Progress you can read, not estimate.

The NicX System

Three Mechanisms. One System.

Firmware Step-Down

Five devices, each with a lower nicotine concentration. The chemical dependency decreases gradually, without withdrawal shock.

Hit Budget

Each session is measured in seconds, not puffs. The device tracks active inhalation time and enforces a hard stop when the session ends.

Hardware Lockout

After each session, the device enters an enforced lockout period. No override. No workaround. The brain gets space to reset between exposures.

Session Active
0:20
Active draw time remaining
Smart-Lock cycle, demonstration
The Protocol

Five Phases. One Descent.

45mg
Phase 1Stabilize
Establish a baseline. Maintain familiarity while introducing structure.
35mg
Phase 2Introduce Intention
Shift use from impulse to conscious choice. Spacing increases.
25mg
Phase 3Reduce Dependency
Lower reliance through structured adjustment. Tolerance drops.
15mg
Phase 4Reinforce Control
Confidence builds. Patterns evolve. Dependence fades.
5mg
Phase 5Transition to Autonomy
Control replaces habit. The system has done its work.
Adaptive AI In Development

The Power of a Thousand Addiction Specialists.
In Your Pocket.

The NicX companion app will use adaptive AI to personalize every aspect of the cessation journey.

A system that learns you.

Based on daily check-ins, usage patterns, and behavioral data, the system is designed to adjust in real time, modifying lockout periods, session lengths, and coaching prompts to match each user's progress. Every journey is different. The plan should be too.

Personalized Plans

AI-guided, phase-based support rooted in behavioral science. The protocol adapts to your pace, not a fixed calendar.

Real-Time Adaptation

The device responds to you, not the other way around. Struggling days get more structure. Strong days earn more autonomy.

Progress Tracking

A visual dashboard showing your journey across all five phases: sessions, lockouts, cravings, and total nicotine reduced.

Age-Gated Access

Built-in ID verification to ensure responsible use, designed in from day one.

The NicX companion app paired over Bluetooth with the NicX device. The app shows the AI coach adjusting session windows, current strength of 25 mg/mL locked by firmware, the five-phase ladder, the next step-down in 9 days, and a craving forecast.
Concept interface. Companion app in development.
Why Connected Matters

The device holds the line.
The app moves it.

The hardware enforces the plan. The intelligence refines it. Together, they are designed to form a closed loop: the device generates real behavioral data, the system learns from it, and the plan gets sharper with every session. That is the future NicX is building toward.

Science

The Science Behind
Structured Cessation

NicX is designed around three clinically recognized drivers of nicotine addiction: chemical dependence, behavioral conditioning, and psychological reinforcement.

The protocol is designed to act on all three at once.

Chemical Dependence

Phased nicotine reduction gives the brain time to recalibrate receptor sensitivity without dopamine collapse.

Behavioral Conditioning

Timed lockouts disrupt the compulsive use cycle, forcing intentional pauses that break habitual patterns.

Psychological Reinforcement

Phase progress and cumulative reduction are shown on the device, so the work is something you can see rather than something you have to feel.

Clinical Status

NicX is an investigational product. It has not been evaluated, cleared, or approved by the FDA and it is not available for sale.

We are pursuing clinical collaborations with academic medical institutions to build our evidence base.

We have no efficacy data. When we have data worth publishing, we will publish it, whichever way it goes.

Patent protection has been filed covering our phased reduction hardware and smart-lock system.
About

Built by the Generation
Most Affected

NicX was founded in Cleveland, Ohio by a team that grew up watching nicotine reshape a generation.

We are engineers, operators, and problem-solvers who believe cessation should be built into the technology itself, not left to willpower alone.

Our mission is to set a new standard for nicotine cessation: one built on science, driven by empathy, and designed for the modern world.

Nick Dottore

Nick Dottore

Founder & CEO

Division 1 athlete turned entrepreneur. Self-taught engineer and subject matter expert in the psychology of addiction. Marketing degree from Morehead State University.

Will Dottore

Will Dottore

Co-Founder · Engineering

Mechatronics engineering student at Kent State. Leads hardware development across PCBA design, mechanical engineering, and software.

David George

David George

Finance & Partnerships

Finance student at Cleveland State. Founder and operator of multiple businesses across Cleveland, and the network behind NicX partnerships.

AH

Aidan Henson

Brand & Growth

Cleveland-based entrepreneur and creative director. Co-founder of a marketing agency, a streetwear label, and a photo-and-video studio. Obsessed with brand, voice, and every pixel a customer sees.

Updates

Progress & Milestones

Short, factual, and current. This is where the work shows.

June 2026Now
Regulatory path set. De Novo through CDRH, with a Pre-RFD to the Office of Combination Products as the first filing. Device-metered dosing, puff count, volume, and wattage enforced in firmware, anchors the device as primary mode of action.
May 2026
Firmware running the protocol on real hardware. Session limits, lockout timing, and the phased step-down all enforced on the device itself. No phone required. No override path.
April 2026
Custom board fabricated. First run of our own PCBA built with our manufacturing partner and in hand for bring-up and test.
February 2026
International patent application published. WO 2026/085378, covering the phased reduction hardware and the lockout system.
2025
The foundation. Patent filed. First working prototypes built by hand. E-liquid formulated across all five concentrations, 45 mg/mL down to 5. Manufacturing partner secured.
FAQ

Questions,
answered plainly.

If any answer below reads like a dodge, tell us. We would rather be clear than flattering.

The Device
What is NicX?

A nicotine reduction device. It delivers nicotine on a schedule that steps down through five phases, and that schedule is enforced by the firmware rather than by you. Each session is capped. Between sessions, the device locks.

How is this different from patches, gum, or a quit app?

Those hand you a tool and leave the decision with you. Every single time. NicX moves the decision into the hardware. The device holds the limit on the days you do not feel like holding it.

Can I override the lockout?

No. There is no code, no reset, no hidden setting. While the lockout is running, the device will not fire. That is the entire point of it.

What stops me from just buying a normal vape instead?

Nothing, and we are not going to pretend otherwise. NicX is not a cage.

What it removes is the hundred small decisions a day that willpower normally has to win. Abandoning the plan entirely is one large decision, and a much harder one to make quietly. That difference is the whole design.

Do I need the phone app?

No. The protocol runs on the device. The companion app is still in development, and it is designed to personalise the plan, not to enforce it. The device works with no phone anywhere near it.

What nicotine strengths does NicX use?

Five phases, stepping down from 45 mg/mL to 5 mg/mL.

The Protocol
What happens when I finish?

You complete Phase 5 at the lowest strength, and you stop. There is no Phase 6. The device is built to make itself unnecessary.

What if I fall behind or slip?

The current protocol is fixed, deliberately. The adaptive companion system in development is intended to let the plan bend to the person instead of the other way around.

Evidence & Status
Is NicX approved by the regulator?

No. NicX is an investigational product. It has not been evaluated, cleared, or approved by the FDA, and it is not available for sale. We are pursuing a De Novo pathway through FDA's device center. Authorization is not guaranteed.

Is there evidence that NicX works?

No. And we are not going to dress up what we have.

Everything on this site describes what the device does. None of it is a claim about what the device achieves.

Is nicotine itself harmful?

Nicotine is the compound that creates and sustains dependence. It is addictive, it acts on the cardiovascular system, and it is not safe for adolescents or during pregnancy.

NicX is not a health product and makes no safety claims. It exists to reduce dependence on nicotine, not to defend it.

When will NicX be available, and what will it cost?

We have not set a launch date or a price. Both depend on a regulatory path we are still walking. The waitlist is the fastest way to hear it first.

Practical
Who can use NicX?

Adults who already vape and want to stop. You must be 21 or older. NicX is not for people who do not currently use nicotine.

What happens to my data?

The device keeps its own usage record. The companion app has not shipped, and we will publish a full privacy policy before it does. We will not sell your data.

Can I invest, partner, or collaborate on research?

Yes, and we want to hear from you. Write to nick@nicxlabs.com and say which one.

Still have a question?

Join the Waitlist
Waitlist

Be the first to know
when NicX moves.

One field. No spam. Real milestones only, and the data when we have it.

Prefer email? Reach us directly at nick@nicxlabs.com

Future Users

What it means for people who want to stop.

Clinicians & Researchers

Updates on collaboration opportunities.

Investors & Partners

Milestone announcements as we move through development and regulatory strategy.