Market & legal data of the tobacco alternatives sector in Asia

What will the year ahead bring? Expected tobacco and nicotine regulation in 2024

Written by Freddie Dawson | 2nd January 2024

TobaccoIntelligence predicts a restrictive future for the regulation of tobacco alternative products but also growth in both the global nicotine pouch and heated tobacco markets from 2023 to 2024 ...

Spotlight on laws, bans and environment as tobacco alternatives trend up in 2023

Written by Freddie Dawson | 28th December 2023

Looking back, 2023 just might be viewed as the turning-point year in alternatives to cigarettes, but in which direction things turn remains to be seen ...

Demand for KT&G’s next-gen products contributes to record-high Q3 revenues

Written by Freddie Dawson | 22nd November 2023

KT&G reported record-high quarterly revenues for the third quarter of 2023, with a significant contribution from its next generation product (NGP) category, as part of its release on the quarter's financial results ...

Malaysia pushes for tobacco control law as it looks to lead ASEAN ahead of COP10

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 21st November 2023

Malaysia will press forward with its tobacco control plans in the hopes of providing a leadership role in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), ahead of what is hoped to be a rescheduled COP10...

Ploom X international expansion has helped to boost JTI’s Q3 performance

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 31st October 2023

Japan Tobacco International (JTI) enjoyed a solid performance in the third quarter of the year, partially related to its Ploom X heated tobacco product geographic expansion ...

PMI accelerates smoke-free growth in Q3, fuelled by Zyn nicotine pouch sales in US

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 20th October 2023

Strong sales momentum behind PMI’s Zyn nicotine pouches in the US helped drive the company’s growth in the third quarter, with US sales volume up nearly 66% on the same quarter in 2022 ...

Smoking rates down thanks to lower-risk nicotine products, UK-based study says

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 19th October 2023

Reduced-risk nicotine products are competing with combustibles and lowering smoking rates, rather than encouraging consumers towards them, according to a new international study ...

Potential for convergence of HT and vape technologies discussed at GTNF in Seoul

Written by Freddie Dawson | 13th October 2023

Future innovation in vaping and tobacco alternatives is likely to involve environmental improvements and prevention of youth usage, said speakers at the Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum ...

GTNF speakers say evidence should drive nicotine legislation, not public pressure

Written by Freddie Dawson | 12th October 2023

Public pressure can drive legislators to make populist decisions on nicotine product regulation that are not based on evidence, warned speakers at the recent Global Tobacco & Nicotine Forum (GTNF) in Seoul ...

Launch of PMI’s first non-tobacco stick raises regulatory questions

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 2nd October 2023

Philip Morris International (PMI) has launched a zero-tobacco stick called Levia for use with its heated tobacco device, Iqos. PMI is the first Big Tobacco to introduce these sticks, though others have marketed similar products...

Israel proposes tough measures and tax hikes to curb youth nicotine use

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 24th August 2023

The Israeli Ministry of Health has published plans for stricter measures that would apply to all smoking and tobacco products, in advance of a public consultation aimed at amending the Tobacco Law ...

KT&G’s next-generation products enjoy over 70% sales growth worldwide

Written by Freddie Dawson | 21st August 2023

KT&G anticipates that alternative nicotine products will continue to make up greater proportions of its sales, the company said during a presentation of its second-quarter results ...

22nd Century adjusts its 2023 revenue outlook after a rocky second quarter

Written by Freddie Dawson | 16th August 2023

22nd Century will focus on streamlining operating costs and making the marketing and sales push for its VLN cigarette products more cost efficient to address issues that have forced it to revise full-year profit guidance...

Japan Tobacco ready to put unexpected revenue boost back into heated tobacco

Written by Freddie Dawson | 3rd August 2023

Japan Tobacco (JT) is to ramp up investment in its production of heated tobacco sticks over the second half of 2023 after reporting better than expected results for the first six months of the year...

More improvement needed – WHO report gives the world 7/10 for tobacco control

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 2nd August 2023

Seven out of ten people worldwide – five times as many as in 2007 – are protected against tobacco-related health issues by sound regulatory policies, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) ...

‘Must do better’ – BAT boss gives Hyper 2 a less than Glo-ing half-term report

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 27th July 2023

British American Tobacco (BAT) has reported a continued positive performance of its vapour and modern oral segment but said it needs to do more work on its heated tobacco products ...

Iluma to the fore as PMI builds up a head of steam towards its smoke-free future

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 25th July 2023

Philip Morris International (PMI) reported strong momentum over the first half of the year, driven by Iqos growth and the good performance of Swedish Match, accelerating the company’s transition to a smokeless future ...

UK's Kingsway Capital seeks exit from stake in UAE's AIR as AIR looks to IPO

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 21st July 2023

Dubai-based tobacco company Advanced Inhalation Rituals is planning to go public next year and has invited banks to pitch for roles in its IPO, as parent company Kingsway Capital seeks to sell its stake ...

Big in Japan, unfashionable in France – how attitudes to heated tobacco vary

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 29th June 2023

Attitudes towards heated tobacco vary, even between neighbouring countries, with a range of social factors affecting market conditions – as shown by differences between France and Switzerland, Japan and South Korea ...

Bangladesh budget proposes spike in taxes to get harm down and revenue up

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 13th June 2023

The Bangladeshi government’s latest annual budget proposal lists a substantial rise in taxes on nicotine products, including heated tobacco devices and combustibles ...

Man on a mission to counter ‘nicotine illiteracy’ and aid smokers everywhere

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 19th May 2023

Taking nicotine out of a tobacco context and inspiring confidence in the role it can play in harm reduction is the goal of Sudhanshu Patwardhan, medical director at the UK Centre for Health Research and...

22nd Century banks on big plans for its VLN cigarettes in the US and beyond

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 12th May 2023

US company 22nd Century will look to expand its international interests by launching trials in Switzerland and Japan as well as relaunching its low-nicotine conventional cigarette product in South Korea ...

JTI plans further launches for Ploom X after UK, Italy and Lithuania successes

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 9th May 2023

Japan Tobacco International (JTI) enjoyed a solid performance in the first three months of the year, boosted by a successful launch of its Ploom X heat-not-burn (HnB) device in Italy and Lithuania ...

Big Tobacco ‘moving too slowly’ to fulfil the FSFW’s mission of ending smoking

Written by Freddie Dawson | 9th May 2023

Tobacco companies are not doing enough to transition to reduced risk products and are not phasing out conventional cigarettes quickly enough, according to the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World (FSFW) ...

PMI reports good numbers, positive momentum of Iqos and Zyn in the US

Written by Freddie Dawson | 28th April 2023

Philip Morris International will focus on heated tobacco and nicotine pouches as the alternatives that can help it meet its goal of becoming a majority smoke-free revenue company by 2025 ...

India’s $17bn smokeless tobacco industry may be hit with ban affecting oral tobacco

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 21st April 2023

A ban on the manufacture, storage and sale of flavoured smokeless tobacco products such as gutka and pan masala in the national capital territory of India has been upheld by the Delhi High Court ...

HnB weathers the rise in Japanese taxes as other forms of tobacco product are hit

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 20th April 2023

Heated tobacco has benefitted from an increase in excise duties on some tobacco products in Japan even though they meant a price rise for heat-not-burn (HnB) products too ...

Big Tobacco remains in love with novelty as it heads towards a smokeless future

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 3rd March 2023

The significance Big Tobacco companies are placing on novel tobacco products is demonstrated by the continued international expansion many are undertaking ...

‘More to come’ from non-combustibles – JTI has money to heat-not-burn

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 14th February 2023

A growing share of the Japanese heated tobacco market and the launch of the Ploom X heat-not-burn (HnB) device in the UK contributed to Japan Tobacco International (JTI) posting positive figures for 2022 ...

BAT delivers another Glo-ing report, with growth across all its novel categories

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 9th February 2023

British American Tobacco (BAT) enjoyed a 37% rise last year in revenues from novel products, with growing contributions across all three of its new categories, led by its brands Vuse, Velo and Glo Hyper ...

PMI announces 15-year exclusive rights to sell KT&G smoke-free products

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 3rd February 2023

Philip Morris International (PMI) has announced its long-term exclusive rights to sell KT&G’s smoke-free products in more than 30 markets, excluding South Korea ...

Indonesia’s tobacco regulation revision plan takes a long-awaited step forward

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 31st January 2023

After years of political debate, Indonesia is finally making progress towards regulating heated tobacco products. Because Indonesia considers heated tobacco to be a type of e-cigarette, e-cig rules apply ...

A good year for Big Tobacco, alternatively speaking, while rules are tightened

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 30th December 2022

The year gone by saw phenomenal growth across the global market for tobacco alternatives, including in the oral segment, heated tobacco and nicotine pouches ...

BAT reports ‘sustainable growth’, over 3m new consumers in non-combustibles

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 19th December 2022

British American Tobacco (BAT) said its “new category” business continues to drive substantial volume, revenue, and market share growth – significantly contributing to the company’s overall performance ...

PMI puts its new Bonds heat-not-burn system to the test in the Philippines

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 23rd November 2022

Philip Morris International (PMI) has launched its latest heat-not-burn tobacco-heating system, Bonds by Iqos, along with its compatible tobacco sticks, Blends, using the Philippines as a pilot market ...

Big Tobacco companies on the road to leaving Russian domestic market

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 7th November 2022

Tobacco producers from around the globe plan to complete their exit from the Russian market by the end of the year by transferring business to local partners, according to recent statements made by company representatives ...

Japan Tobacco plans more Ploom X launches abroad after success at home

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 2nd November 2022

Japan Tobacco (JT) has posted positive figures for the first nine months of the year, boosted by continued growth in the reduced-risk product category fuelled by the success of Ploom X in Japan ...

Altria goes into partnership with JTI to tackle US heated tobacco market

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 27th October 2022

Tobacco giants Altria and JT Group are to form a joint venture to market in the US heated tobacco stick products owned and developed by either company ...

PMI invests $150m to increase Heets production in the Philippines

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 25th October 2022

Philip Morris International (PMI) is investing an additional PHP8.8bn ($150m) in its affiliate company PMFTC to increase production of its heated tobacco sticks in the Philippines ...

PMI reports strong Q3 results, talks smoke-free, Altria and Swedish Match

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 24th October 2022

Philip Morris International (PMI) reported strong third quarter results in terms of revenue but saw a number of setbacks in shipment volumes as it looks to meet its goal of becoming a majority smoke-free company...

How China's new licensing rules can benefit the industry at home and abroad

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 12th October 2022

Firms importing tobacco alternative products from China have been advised to check that their suppliers have the appropriate licence to meet the requirements of legislation that has now come into effect ...

Swedish Match awarded top marks for transformation to reduced risk

Written by Barnaby Page | 29th September 2022

Swedish Match was the clear winner in this year’s Tobacco Transformation Index, which ranks major tobacco companies on their shift toward reduced-risk products ...

22nd Century continues its VLN distribution expansion in US and beyond

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 9th September 2022

US company 22nd Century Group plans to expand points-of-sale of its low-nicotine conventional cigarette VLN throughout Illinois based on solid pilot results in Chicago, and plans to sign two other distribution partnerships to launch in Colorado...

While other countries have gone with a flavour ban, menthol is still big in Japan

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 29th August 2022

Japan currently has no intention of following the US and Europe with a ban on menthol-flavoured tobacco products ...

Early election could put paid to Malaysia’s ‘Generational End Game’ for nicotine

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 25th August 2022

Malaysia’s latest attempt to put an end to nicotine use among the younger generation is likely to be delayed, or even derailed, with an early election expected to stall the new bill ...

Ploom X leads the way for JTI in Japan as popular switch to reduced risk goes on

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 3rd August 2022

Japan Tobacco International (JTI) has reported increases in sales of reduced-risk products, helping offset falling shipment volumes of combustible tobacco products ...

Fury in the Philippines as new president lets novel tobacco bill lapse into law

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 28th July 2022

Calls for the president to veto the Philippines Vape Regulation Bill – and a change of government – failed to derail the bill, which also regulates heated tobacco and other novel tobacco products ...

BAT confident Hyper X2 can add to its Glo-ing performance in HnB and oral

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 28th July 2022

British American Tobacco (BAT) saw revenue from its new products category portfolio rise by 45% in the first half of the year, with good returns from its modern oral and heated tobacco portfolio ...

PMI releases promising results for first half of year, boosted by heated tobacco

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 22nd July 2022

Philip Morris International (PMI) has raised its full year outlook after it saw decent numbers over the first half of 2022 ...

Are flavours in pouches set to be the next battleground for tobacco alternatives?

Written by Freddie Dawson | 30th June 2022

Flavours in nicotine pouches could become the next contentious issue for tobacco alternatives, following a similar route to e-liquid flavours, experts say ...

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