News analysis for professionals in the alternative tobacco sector

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

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 26th May 2021

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 ...

PMTAs – the US FDA's long-awaited list contains over 6m new tobacco products

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 24th May 2021

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has posted a list of over 6m deemed new tobacco products for which it received Premarket Tobacco Product Applications (PMTAs) by the 9th September 2020 deadline ...

Politicians and regulators just can't stop thinking of the children

Written by Barnaby Page | 21st May 2021

News that Florida is planning to increase the purchase age for tobacco products to 21 is another clear indication of just how much the issues of youth smoking and youth vaping dominate the minds of...

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

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 20th May 2021

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

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 ...

Imperial enjoys an increase in revenue while planning for Pulze expansion

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 19th May 2021

Imperial Brands’ earnings in the first half of the year jumped 6.1% to £15.57bn in the midst of a process to implement a new company strategy towards tobacco alternatives ...

Judge believes PMI HeatSticks infringe two BAT patents in the US

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 18th May 2021

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

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

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...

Swedish MEP calls on EU commissioner to clarify position on snus and cancer

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 12th May 2021

A Swedish MEP asked EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides to clarify her position after she said that oral tobacco has adverse effects “including cancers” ...

Will nicotine be the next menthol?

Written by Barnaby Page | 7th May 2021

The big news from the US Food and Drug Administration last week was a ban on menthol in combustible cigarettes, closing off a loophole that had allowed this one flavour to be marketed even after all others...

Scientists and industry divided over access to harm reduction information

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 7th May 2021

The information the public receives on tobacco harm reduction and whether it contributes to improving the role of tobacco-alternatives is a hot topic that divides the industry and the scientific community ...

French MPs to recommend boosting tax revenues from tobacco products

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 7th May 2021

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

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

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 ...

Altria moves On! with full ownership of expanding nicotine pouches brand

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 29th April 2021

Altria has confirmed its full-year guidance for 2021 and full acquisition of its nicotine pouches business despite a dip in total company earnings for the first quarter of the year ...

Scottish Conservatives say alternatives should be regulated like combustibles

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 28th April 2021

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 ...

Changing consumer behaviour and the role of regulation in novel products

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 26th April 2021

How is the heated tobacco market developing in Japan, South Korea and worldwide? And what of nicotine pouches, snus and new tobacco-related products? TobaccoIntelligence managing director Tim Phillips gives his expert view ...

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

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 23rd April 2021

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...

Brazilian deputies consider HnB ban as doubts remain over alternatives' future

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 21st April 2021

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 ...

Smoke-free now 28% of PMI revenue, boosted by European take-up of Iqos

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 20th April 2021

Philip Morris International (PMI)’s earnings were up slightly in the first quarter of 2021, boosted by a 38% increase in heated tobacco unit volume in Europe ...

Spain's health ministry ready to ban HnB on outdoor terraces in anti-Covid plan

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 16th April 2021

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 ...

Emirates tax officials seize non-compliant heated tobacco

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 14th April 2021

The introduction of digital tax stamps for heated tobacco products in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since January 2021 is already resulting in the authorities taking action against non-compliant products ...

WHO approach to HnB is 'short-sighted' and 'out of date', say British MPs

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 13th April 2021

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 ...

Snus online sales skyrocket in Norway and Sweden due to Covid restrictions

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 9th April 2021

Online sales of snus in the first two months of 2021 increased by 246% in Norway against the same period of 2020, according to new figures released by fintech company Klarna ...

Cambodia 'combats drugs' with a blanket ban on heated tobacco products

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 8th April 2021

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

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

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 ...

Gold in Virginia? One man's bid to claim all the profits ever made from tobacco

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 1st April 2021

Will Sheldon Q. Rolfe succeed in his legal bid to claim all the profits accrued from tobacco growing since 1613? A Virginia lawsuit could put the whole world in his hands – three times over...

Imperial expresses new optimism on upcoming heated tobacco market trials

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 30th March 2021

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 ...

Indian state of Jharkhand invokes plague law to restrict tobacco sales and use

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 29th March 2021

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 ...

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

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 25th March 2021

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 ...

More knowledge of novel products means less fear of them among EU politicians

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 24th March 2021

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

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 ...

Value and accuracy of information on reduced risk products is a burning issue

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 18th March 2021

How much information the public receives from health authorities about tobacco harm reduction – and how much it helps – is a hot topic between the industry and the scientific community ...

EU anti-cancer plan accused of 'shutting the door' on smokers trying to quit

Written by Barnaby Page | 16th March 2021

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 ...

UK High Court revokes BAT's HnB patents and dismisses its claim against PMI

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 15th March 2021

A UK court has declared two patents held by British American Tobacco (BAT) for its heat-not-burn device Glo invalid after the company sued Philip Morris International (PMI) for infringement ...

China’s popular WeChat platform kills off 'cool' smoking soldier emoji

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 10th March 2021

China’s popular social media and messaging app WeChat has taken down an emoji featuring a smoking soldier after a Beijing-based anti-smoking organisation campaigned for its removal ...

Colombia debates tighter rules on nicotine products, including HnB

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 8th March 2021

Colombia’s Parliament is considering a bill that would impose fresh regulations on the sale and use of tobacco-alternative products, including heated tobacco ...

European Ombudsman tells Commission to come clean over tobacco meetings

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 2nd March 2021

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

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) ...

Croatia heading for one of the highest heated tobacco tax rates in Europe

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 24th February 2021

A proposal to nearly double the tax on heated tobacco in Croatia appears to be broadly backed by lawmakers, though some are urging the government to consider scientific and economic evidence ...

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

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 22nd February 2021

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

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...

Ukraine’s HnB tax hike blamed for ‘inevitable’ boom in bootleg sales

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 17th February 2021

Concerns have been raised in Ukraine over a sharp increase in sales of counterfeit heated tobacco products from China following the imposition of a new tax scheme in January ...

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

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 15th February 2021

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

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 ...

UK should take the harm reduction message to WHO conference, MPs told

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 11th February 2021

Britain will have an “incredible opportunity” later this year to spread the word that appropriate regulation of tobacco alternatives saves lives, members of the UK Parliament have been told ...

JT looks to new heat-not-burn device to counter falling overall tobacco sales

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 9th February 2021

Japan Tobacco is set to launch a new heated tobacco device by the second half of the year, despite falling revenues in its home market, in a bid to strengthen its reduced-risk portfolio ...

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

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 8th February 2021

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 ...

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