David Palacios Rubio, Author at TobaccoIntelligence

MEPs call on European Commission to ban flavours in heated tobacco products

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 3rd December 2021 || News analysis |

The final report of the Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECA) is expected to ask the Commission to implement a blanket ban on “all characteristic flavours” in heated tobacco and novel tobacco products ...

US House gives green light to new tax on nicotine pouches in Biden’s spending bill

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 22nd November 2021 || News analysis |

The US House of Representatives has passed by 220 votes to 213 president Joe Biden’s $1.75tn social spending bill, including a new federal tax on nicotine pouches ...

Early signs look promising for Imperial Brands’ European heated tobacco trials

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 16th November 2021 || News analysis |

Tobacco giant Imperial Brands has told investors that the ongoing trials of its Pulze heated tobacco device and iD consumables in Central and Eastern Europe were “progressing well” ...

COP9 parties agree on ‘need to regulate’ heated tobacco products

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 12th November 2021 || News analysis |

The all-online COP9 finished without major decision, but with calls for serious attention to be given to novel and emerging tobacco products at COP10 in 2023 ...

WHO accused of ‘counterproductive, irrational’ policy on alternatives

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 8th November 2021 || News analysis |

Experts have urged the parties to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) to embrace a “more assertive” stance on smoke-free alternatives ...

Switzerland moves ahead with bill to regulate heated and oral tobacco

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 4th November 2021 || News analysis |

The Swiss Federal Assembly has adopted a longstanding bill that will implement new restrictions on tobacco-alternative products, including specific regulations on packaging and promotion ...

EU criticises WHO over ‘unprecedented’ delay in talks on tobacco alternatives

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 29th October 2021 || News analysis |

European countries have publicly expressed disagreement with the World Health Organization (WHO)’s decision to postpone discussions of novel tobacco products, keeping them out of the upcoming COP9 ...

Is plain packaging of snus working in Norway? Official body raises the question

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 27th October 2021 || Blog , News analysis |

Researchers at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) found that plain packaging did not produce a decline in men’s snus use in Norway, with “inconclusive results” on both smoking and women’s snus use ...

PMI’s heated tobacco business on the up despite warnings of disruption in US

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 20th October 2021 || News analysis |

Philip Morris International (PMI)’s net revenues were up by 9.1% in the third quarter of 2021 thanks to the growth of its heated tobacco segment ...

MEPs want tighter flavour restrictions and ‘proportionate’ tax to beat cancer

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 5th October 2021 || News analysis |

MEPs have tabled a set of proposals to amend a draft report by the Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECA), calling on the European Commission to implement a flavour ban on all tobacco products ...

Is Big Tobacco growing environmentally friendly – or is it merely greenwash?

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 29th September 2021 || Blog , News analysis |

Tobacco corporations seem to be accelerating their commitment towards more sustainable businesses, investing in projects to reduce environmental harm caused by tobacco-alternative devices ...

Survey backs EU-wide tax harmony on heated tobacco and oral nicotine

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 28th September 2021 || News analysis |

New figures from the European Commission reveal broad support for harmonised tax rules for tobacco-alternative products ahead of the revision of a directive on the structure and rates of excise duties on tobacco ...

New junior health minister takes charge of UK policy on tobacco alternatives

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 24th September 2021 || News analysis |

The appointment of Maggie Throup as UK public health minister comes at a potentially critical time for tobacco alternatives, with many hoping she will continue the harm reduction approach of her predecessor ...

Healthy business? PMI completes its takeover of Vectura and Fertin Pharma

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 16th September 2021 || News analysis |

Philip Morris International (PMI) has concluded its controversial £1.1bn takeover of UK health firm Vectura, along with that of the Danish oral-products manufacturer Fertin Pharma ...

Swedish Match is ready to shake up the industry by getting out of combustibles

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 15th September 2021 || Blog , News analysis |

Swedish Match has announced that the company is to become 100% smoke-free by next year with the separation of its cigar business in the US, a decision that is likely to have an impact in the market ...

Congress committees ready to slash Biden’s suggested FDA budget figure

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 31st August 2021 || News analysis |

Both the House and Senate are intent on increasing the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) budget for next year, but the figure is likely to be far short of the $6.5bn initially requested by president Joe Biden...

US state attorneys warn of ‘the next Juul’ and urge FDA to act on oral nicotine

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 24th August 2021 || News analysis |

A group of 31 US state attorneys general have accused the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of failing to impose rules setting “acceptable levels of nicotine” for oral nicotine products and called for a flavour ban ...

Is Mexico’s thaw on heated tobacco influenced by attitudes of the US FDA?

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 18th August 2021 || Blog , News analysis |

A recent step forward on HnB taken by the FDA could be behind the shift of the Mexican government toward allowing the sale of these smoke-free devices ...

Vectura’s board supports ‘fair’ £1.2bn PMI takeover bid; shareholders to decide

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 13th August 2021 || News analysis |

The board of UK health firm Vectura has recommended that shareholders support the £1.2bn takeover bid from tobacco giant PMI ...

MPs urge UK government to be ambitious in aiming for a ‘smoke-free’ England

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 27th July 2021 || News analysis |

MPs have called on the UK government to present “ambitious plans”, involving novel tobacco alternatives, if they want a smoke-free country by 2030 – a target many public health experts consider unreachable ...

Stricter or looser: battle lies ahead over nature of new EU tobacco product rules

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 22nd July 2021 || News analysis |

An intense period of negotiations on a revision of EU regulation of tobacco-alternative products is coming, following the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) implementation report presented by the European Commission ...

Estonian millennials are into heated tobacco, while zoomers prefer snus

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 21st July 2021 || News analysis |

While politicians in Estonia are currently weighing up the possibility of softening regulations for tobacco-alternative products, a new survey has unveiled new figures about the consumption of these products ...

BAT pulls Velo out of German market due to uncertainty over legality of pouches

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 8th July 2021 || Blog , News analysis |

British American Tobacco (BAT) is removing its Velo nicotine pouches from the German market because of a lack of clarity over their regulation both nationally and in the country's regional states ...

Did Philippines FDA break the law hiring tobacco staff with Bloomberg cash?

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 23rd June 2021 || Blog , News analysis |

The Philippines Food and Drug Administration is under public scrutiny after being accused of acting unlawfully in accepting foreign donations from a non-government organisation funded by the anti-tobacco Bloomberg Initiative ...

Germany has second thoughts, lowering the tax pressure on heated tobacco

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 16th June 2021 || News analysis |

The German Bundestag has approved the country’s Tobacco Law, lowering the level of tax on heat-not-burn (HnB) products proposed by the government to apply from January 2022 ...

Three in ten smokers would try snus if it was legalised in the EU, survey finds

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 11th June 2021 || News analysis |

More than 31% of current European smokers would be interested in trying snus if it was legalised in the region, according to a major survey ...

BAT faces a fine of up to €5m over alleged covert heated tobacco advertising in Italy

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 11th June 2021 || Blog , News analysis |

Italy’s antitrust regulator has opened formal procedures against British American Tobacco (BAT) for using influencers to promote an advertising campaign for Glo Hyper, and it could cost the manufacturer millions ...

Logista defies the pandemic to increase HnB distribution in France and Italy

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 1st June 2021 || News analysis |

Heated tobacco distributor Logista enjoyed an increase in business in the first six months of fiscal year 2021 despite the economic challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic ...

Corner shops threatened as New Zealand plans to license and limit tobacco retail

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 27th May 2021 || News analysis |

A proposal by the New Zealand government to limit the number of shops that can sell tobacco products is causing concern among the country’s retailers, who would need to apply for new business licences ...

British government review of tobacco rules won’t be coming any time soon

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 26th May 2021 || Blog , News analysis |

The UK government’s post-implementation review of the 2016 Tobacco and Related Products Regulations (TRPR) won’t be ready before the end of the year ...

Brussels plans to close ‘legal loopholes’ on heated tobacco and modern oral

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 20th May 2021 || News analysis |

The European Commission is planning strong action to enhance the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) and warns that the current legislation “does not fully capture” some new products, such as nicotine pouches ...

Judge believes PMI HeatSticks infringe two BAT patents in the US

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 18th May 2021 || News analysis |

A judge of the US International Trade Commission (ITC) believes Philip Morris International (PMI)’s Iqos heated tobacco sticks infringe patents owned by British American Tobacco (BAT) ...

Iqos 3 MRTP approval gets closer as US FDA starts substantive review

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 14th May 2021 || News analysis |

The US FDA considers that the Modified Risk Tobacco Product Application (MRTP) for Philip Morris International (PMI)’s Iqos 3 holder and charger is “sufficiently complete” to start a substantive review ...

Pakistan: prime minister’s withdrawal from webinar reveals tensions over tobacco products

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 13th May 2021 || Blog , News analysis |

Pakistan’s prime minister Imran Khan cancelled a few days ago the country’s attendance at an event sponsored by Philip Morris Japan, after health advocates protested violation of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC)...

Brussels insiders admit the need for a quick fix to harmonise tobacco taxes

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 23rd April 2021 || News analysis |

Tax officials in Brussels are agreed that the harmonising of excise duties on tobacco alternatives is urgent after calls from EU member states and the sector to put an end to the different national tax regimes in Europe...

Broad industry support for extending UK tobacco regs to include alternatives

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 6th April 2021 || News analysis |

The UK review of the 2016 Tobacco and Related Products Regulations (TRPR) should cover other tobacco-alternative products and not just e-cigarettes, respondents to an official consulation said ...

Swedish officials urged to tighten snus regulations and ban advertising

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 2nd April 2021 || News analysis |

A report commissioned by the Swedish government recommends stricter regulation of tobacco-alternatives, including new age limits for the sale of tobacco-free snus and a blanket ban on advertising ...

Imperial expresses new optimism on upcoming heated tobacco market trials

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 30th March 2021 || News analysis |

Imperial Brands has announced that it expects to deliver its yearly objectives for 2021 and expressed optimism about the performance of its heated tobacco device Pulze ...

Swedish Match to advocate for EU regulation of nicotine pouches in TPD3

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 25th March 2021 || News analysis |

Swedish Match is set to join efforts to promote harmonised regulation of nicotine pouches across the EU at a critical time for the future of tobacco-alternative products in Europe ...

European Ombudsman tells Commission to come clean over tobacco meetings

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 2nd March 2021 || News analysis |

The European Ombudsman has accused the European Commission of failing to “proactively publish” details of all its interactions with the tobacco industry ...

Should the UK include non-tobacco pouches in tobacco laws? PHE suggests so

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 26th February 2021 || News analysis |

A new report from Public Health England (PHE) advises that non-tobacco nicotine products should be included in the post-Brexit UK revision of the 2016 Tobacco and Related Products Regulations (TRPR) ...

Germany aims to increase HnB duty to match tax on combustible cigarettes

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 22nd February 2021 || News analysis |

The German government is proposing an increased levy on heat-not-burn (HnB) consumables from 2022, bringing them under the same tax burden as traditional cigarettes ...

Global revenues down, but BAT enjoys 15% increase from ‘new categories’

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 18th February 2021 || News analysis |

BAT delivered similar results in 2020 to the previous year despite the pandemic and a slip in its heated tobacco portfolio – boosted by growth in its oral tobacco products in the second half of the year ...

Swedish Match is ZYN the money as pouches keep growing in pandemic

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 15th February 2021 || News analysis |

Swedish Match posted an operating profit of nearly SEK 7bn ($845m) in 2020, up 23% on the previous year, thanks largely to a good performance by its ZYN nicotine pouches and record US sales ...

PMI aims to double Heets production by 2023

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 12th February 2021 || News analysis |

PMI is spreading optimism about its "beyond nicotine" portfolio, aiming to reach $1bn revenue from tobacco-alternatives in less than five years’ time, with an expected increase in the demand of heated tobacco consumables ...

European Beating Cancer Plan – now the parliamentary debates begin in earnest

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 8th February 2021 || News analysis |

Intense debate has begun in the European Parliament on Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, presented by the European Commission last week, including suggested measures to tighten regulation of tobacco alternatives ...

Europe places anti-cancer focus on tighter HnB regulation and taxation

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 3rd February 2021 || News analysis |

The European Commission’s newly outlined Beating Cancer Plan places a focus on tobacco-alternative products such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco ...

US attorneys ask the FDA to urgently ban menthol cigarettes

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 29th January 2021 || News analysis |

A coalition of US attorneys called on the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban menthol cigarettes “in the best interest of the public” and no longer delay a process that has been on stand-by since 2018...

Imperial Brands’ five-year plan to ‘dial up focus’ on heated tobacco in Europe

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 28th January 2021 || News analysis |

Imperial Brands has announced a substantial shift in strategy towards its next-generation products category, with a focus on investment in heated tobacco in Europe over the next five years ...

US FDA hiring new contractor to design anti-tobacco social media campaigns

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 12th January 2021 || News analysis |

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is looking to appoint a new company to provide public communication services to the agency’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) ...

LATEST ALERTS