Regulatory briefing
Here you can find all of our news briefings and updates covering all regulatory matters from around the globe. Topics include new heated tobacco laws, amendments to current policy, tax changes, bans on specific products and country-specific updates to regulation, plus more.
Time’s up for the US FDA to make up its mind – now where do PMTAs stand?
Written by Barnaby Page || 9th September 2021 || Blog , Regulatory briefing |
As the US Food and Drug Administration's deadline to pass or reject e-cigarette premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) arrives, where does it leave the market and what might it mean for tobacco alternatives? ...
Nations miss the deadline to implement EU’s directive on single-use plastics
Written by Antonia di Lorenzo || 6th September 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Few countries hit the deadline for implementing the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUP) to reduce the environmental impact of certain plastics – including those in heated tobacco filters – TobaccoIntelligence has found ...
Congress committees ready to slash Biden’s suggested FDA budget figure
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 31st August 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
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...
HnB facing ‘passive smoking’ clampdown as German state considers new rules
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 30th August 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The German state of Hesse is targeting heated tobacco along with e-cigarettes in a new legislative initiative to update the current regulations covering smoking ...
Knee-jerk response as US AGs leap aboard the anti-flavours bandwagon
Written by Barnaby Page || 26th August 2021 || Blog , Regulatory briefing |
Are we really in the midst of a “pandemic” of oral nicotine use by young people, and if so is the answer a flavour ban? 31 US attorneys general have some answering of their own to do ...
US state attorneys warn of ‘the next Juul’ and urge FDA to act on oral nicotine
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 24th August 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
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 , Regulatory briefing |
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 ...
Localities and regions take a harsher approach towards HnB in Taiwan
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 16th August 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The most populous city in Taiwan has recently joined eight regions in implementing new legislation restricting the use and sale of e-cigs and heated tobacco ...
PMTAs deadline looms: the future of the remaining 1.5m product applications
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 11th August 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
After the recent announcement that the FDA rejected 4.5m from the total 6m PMTAs filed, experts believe that this decision means a clear path for enforcement ...
Russia prepares proposal to ban pouches across the Eurasian economic region
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 9th August 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The Russian Health Ministry recently finalised a draft agreement on restricting tobacco-free white pouches across the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) territory ...
Montenegro’s plan to increase heated tobacco tax misses its proposed due date
Written by Marija Obradovic || 3rd August 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Two months after prime minister Zdravko Krivokapić submitted a proposal to increase the tax on heated tobacco each year, the Parliament of Montenegro has still not considered it and will not now do so before the autumn ...
WHO report hits out at ‘same old tactics’ promoting ‘new and emerging products’
Written by Aidan Semmens || 27th July 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The World Health Organization (WHO) has published its eighth report on “the global tobacco epidemic”, which places a new emphasis on “new and emerging products” ...
MPs urge UK government to be ambitious in aiming for a ‘smoke-free’ England
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 27th July 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
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 ...
U-turn in Mexico as HnB import ban is scrapped after less than 18 months
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 26th July 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Mexico’s president Andrés Manuel López Obrador has issued a decree lifting the import and export ban on heated tobacco devices and consumables, less than 18 months after the prohibition was approved ...
Stricter or looser: battle lies ahead over nature of new EU tobacco product rules
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 22nd July 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
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 ...
Japanese health ministry denies plan to widen access to tobacco-free pouches
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 14th July 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Regulations governing nicotine pouches in Japan are unlikely to change in the near future despite rumours to the contrary ...
Estonian MPs aim to soften regulations for snus and heated tobacco
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 9th July 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The Estonian Parliament (Riigikogu) is considering a new bill amending the country’s Tobacco Act with the aim of clarifying the regulations for snus and heated tobacco and bringing down the country's smoking rates ...
Dutch tobacco advertising restrictions likely to pass despite objections
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 5th July 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Some Dutch lawmakers have expressed concern about the consequences of an amendment to the Tobacco and Smoking Products Act and the introduction of new advertising restrictions on tobacco-alternative products ...
Los Angeles bids to join California-wide assault on menthol and other flavours
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 5th July 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Los Angeles is in the early stages of preparing to ban flavoured tobacco products, the local government having authorised the drafting of a measure to end the sale of such products in the city’s 4,500 tobacco retailers ...
WHO warns governments to beware tobacco firms’ attempts to dodge rules
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 30th June 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
A report from the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends governments and health officials around the world to pay attention to attempts by the tobacco industry to avoid product regulations ...
Did Philippines FDA break the law hiring tobacco staff with Bloomberg cash?
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 23rd June 2021 || Blog , Regulatory briefing |
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 ...
Pakistan proposes its first ever tax on imported heated tobacco products
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 22nd June 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Pakistan has included a proposal to tax heated tobacco products in its annual national budget for the first time. It comes after several calls to take a harsher approach towards tobacco products generally ...
Italian Ministry of Health evaluates future regulation for nicotine pouches
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 18th June 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Health officials in Rome are considering regulation of nicotine pouches in the country after they seized and banned the sale of a brand of such products following a Higher Health Institute (ISS) laboratory analysis ...
Germany has second thoughts, lowering the tax pressure on heated tobacco
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 16th June 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
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 ...
MPs say UK policy on smoking cessation should include HnB and nicotine pouches
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 14th June 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The British government must step up efforts to promote tobacco alternative products if it is to achieve its goal of a smoke-free society by 2030, a cross-party parliamentary committee agreed ...
Bosnia and Herzegovina set to regulate heated tobacco, ban oral products
Written by Marija Obradovic || 8th June 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Bosnia and Herzegovina has passed a bill that will harmonise the country’s tobacco regulation with the provisions of the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) and establish a regulatory framework for tobacco alternatives ...
New UK health agency likely to maintain good will towards tobacco alternatives
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 3rd June 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The recent shake-up of the UK’s health sector with the replacement of Public Health England (PHE) is not expected to substantially change the country’s support of novel tobacco products as aids to quit smoking ...
UK physicians suggest raising the legal tobacco age while lowering tax pressure
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 28th May 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The Royal College of Physicians has recommended the UK government reduce the VAT on tobacco-alternative products to 5% to encourage smokers to make the switch, and to increase the minimum legal age for sales ...
Brussels plans to close ‘legal loopholes’ on heated tobacco and modern oral
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 20th May 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
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 ...
German Bundestag remains divided over how tobacco alternatives should be taxed
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 20th May 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Talks on a proposed amendment to Germany's Tobacco Act have revealed divisions within parliament and beyond on whether taxation of tobacco alternatives should be based on health promotion or tax income ...
Iqos 3 MRTP approval gets closer as US FDA starts substantive review
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 14th May 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
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 ...
Swedish MEP calls on EU commissioner to clarify position on snus and cancer
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 12th May 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
A Swedish MEP asked EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides to clarify her position after she said that oral tobacco has adverse effects “including cancers” ...
French MPs to recommend boosting tax revenues from tobacco products
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 7th May 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
A working group created by the French National Assembly to analyse the taxation of tobacco products in France is expected to deliver proposals to the government to increase the tax revenues from tobacco products ...
Jordan rolls out licences for businesses to deal in legalised tobacco alternatives
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 4th May 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
At least 184 establishments have been licensed to trade in heated tobacco and other tobacco alternatives in Jordan since they were legalised in 2019 ...
A ‘significant step’ – FDA moves to ban menthol cigarettes in the US
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 30th April 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced plans to ban menthol tobacco in 2022, a “significant step” towards increasing smoking cessation and reducing youth uptake ...
Scottish Conservatives say alternatives should be regulated like combustibles
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 28th April 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
As elections to the Scottish Parliament approach, the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party has said e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products should be subject to the same restrictions as combustible cigarettes ...
Brussels insiders admit the need for a quick fix to harmonise tobacco taxes
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 23rd April 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
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...
Brazilian deputies consider HnB ban as doubts remain over alternatives’ future
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 21st April 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
While Brazil’s health authorities keep postponing a final decision on future regulation of tobacco alternatives, a new proposal to reinforce a nationwide ban on heated tobacco is being considered in the Chamber of Deputies ...
Spain’s health ministry ready to ban HnB on outdoor terraces in anti-Covid plan
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 16th April 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The Spanish Ministry of Health is looking at imposing a blanket ban on the use of inhalable tobacco products – including heat-not-burn (HnB) – on outdoor bar and cafe terraces ...
WHO approach to HnB is ‘short-sighted’ and ‘out of date’, say British MPs
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 13th April 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
A British All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Vaping has urged the World Health Organization (WHO) to look more positively on new alternatives to tobacco to shape future global anti-smoking policies ...
Cambodia ‘combats drugs’ with a blanket ban on heated tobacco products
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 8th April 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Health authorities in Cambodia have decided to ban heated tobacco amid concerns that it causes serious health problems and promotes drug use ...
Broad industry support for extending UK tobacco regs to include alternatives
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 6th April 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
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 || Regulatory briefing |
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 ...
Indian state of Jharkhand invokes plague law to restrict tobacco sales and use
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 29th March 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The eastern Indian state of Jharkhand has clamped down on tobacco usage, introducing a new set of measures including a ban on the sale and purchase of tobacco products in public places ...
More knowledge of novel products means less fear of them among EU politicians
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 24th March 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
How much politicians know about novel tobacco products has a major effect on their perceptions of safety and risk, new research by TobaccoIntelligence suggests ...
Dutch health officials call for warnings and stricter rules on nicotine pouches
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 22nd March 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) has called for stricter regulation and public warnings about “addictive and harmful” nicotine-containing non-tobacco products ...
EU anti-cancer plan accused of ‘shutting the door’ on smokers trying to quit
Written by Barnaby Page || 16th March 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
As European health ministers met to discuss the EU’s Beating Cancer Plan, one influential organisation has pleaded for a rethink of its attitude toward alternative nicotine products ...
Colombia debates tighter rules on nicotine products, including HnB
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 8th March 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Colombia’s Parliament is considering a bill that would impose fresh regulations on the sale and use of tobacco-alternative products, including heated tobacco ...