News analysis for professionals in the alternative tobacco sector

JT’s acquisition of Vector Group in the US: strategic expansion or short-term boost?

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 22nd August 2024

While the acquisition of US tobacco company Vector by Japan Tobacco (JT) Group will add profit and cashflow to JT’s business immediately, its longer-term significance may be more strategic ...

Nic pouches in Latin America: market opportunities, regulatory challenges

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 22nd August 2024

As the global nicotine pouch market continues to expand, Latin America is emerging as a key region of interest, with the recent surge in vaping and nicotine pouch popularity creating dynamic opportunities for market players...

US Republican VP nominee keeps views on tobacco alternatives under his hat

Written by Freddie Dawson | 16th August 2024

Republican nominee for vice-president JD Vance has been curiously silent on tobacco alternatives, even though common Washington Beltway gossip says Vance’s staff are some of the most nicotined up in all of Congress ...

Nicotine and flavour delivery innovations driving nicotine pouch evolution globally

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 15th August 2024

From innovative flavour formulations to extended-release mechanisms and eco-friendly packaging, the globally expanding nicotine pouch industry is undergoing a transformative phase ...

US Democratic VP nominee unlikely to be an ally to the tobacco alternatives sector

Written by Freddie Dawson | 12th August 2024

New Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz is unlikely to be a friend to the tobacco alternatives and vaping industries. As governor of the state of Minnesota, he's taken a strong line on nicotine products ...

US study suggests vaping combined with smoking may increase risk of lung cancer

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 8th August 2024

Tobacco smokers who also use e-cigarettes may be exposed to higher health risks than those who only use traditional cigarettes, but scientists are reluctant to put the blame on vaping ...

Big Tobacco pleased about growth but mum on impact from regulatory changes

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 8th August 2024

All Big Tobacco companies reported growth in their smoke-free segments, reflecting a trend towards diversification from traditional cigarettes, though none have addressed the regulatory environment and its potential impact on future earnings ...

JTI reports robust performance fuelled by Ploom in the heated tobacco segment

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 2nd August 2024

Japan Tobacco International reports it delivered a robust performance in the first half of the year, continuing its investment to expand its presence in the heated tobacco segment, with Ploom now available in 21 markets...

Altria beefs up On! brand as oral tobacco products continue to shore up revenue

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 1st August 2024

Oral tobacco continued to significantly contribute to Altria’s numbers in the first half of the year, with encouraging results from its On! nicotine pouch brand and positive On! Plus growth prospects ...

Does research indicate nicotine caps on nic products could benefit public health?

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 31st July 2024

Lower nicotine content levels make tobacco products less addictive, but in vapes, they may lead users to compensate their intake by increasing the pace and intensity of their puffs, according to a recent study ...

KT&G and PMI to work together for US FDA approval on heated tobacco products

Written by Freddie Dawson | 31st July 2024

Philip Morris International (PMI) will help KT&G on its US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) for its Lil heated tobacco products ...

Dutch citizen petition for generational tobacco ban unlikely to go much further

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 30th July 2024

A citizens’ initiative to achieve a nicotine-free generation, which aims to ban the sale of nicotine-containing products to those born on or after 1st January 2012 and has been admitted to the House of Representatives,...

Minnesota takes on Big Tobacco to get alleged millions owed for the US state

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 29th July 2024

Tobacco companies are trying to get out of obligations to pay agreed settlements over illicit marketing practices, officials in Minnesota allege, and the state is taking companies to court over attempts to minimise payments ...

Spanish government launches public consultation on new tobacco regulations

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 26th July 2024

The Spanish government has opened a public consultation on a soon-to-be drafted tobacco law bill, which would introduce new measures to regulate the consumption, sale, supply and advertising of tobacco products ...

Southeast Asia regulatory round-up, July 2024

Written by Freddie Dawson | 26th July 2024

Expect a flurry of regulations on vaping and other alternative nicotine products in Southeast Asia over the second half of 2024. TobaccoIntelligence looks at regulatory developments in the region ...

BAT’s numbers buoyed up by modern oral segment, with significant growth in US

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 25th July 2024

British American Tobacco reported a drop in first-half revenue, offset by the continued growth of new categories. BAT expects new-category revenue to be weighted in the second half of 2024, driven by phased launches ...

With the US governorship race underway, how do candidates view nic alternatives?

Written by Freddie Dawson | 25th July 2024

Though debate about US president Joe Biden’s potential replacement dominates headlines on the November elections, down-ballot races in many states may impact the future of nicotine alternatives in the country ...

PMI’s Zyn and Iqos see robust growth, despite supply issues and EU flavour ban

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 23rd July 2024

Philip Morris International recorded an outstanding second-quarter and first-half performance, with strong contributions from Iqos and Zyn – despite supply constraints and the EU flavour ban ...

EU Parliament re-elects president Von der Leyen, releases SANT member names

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 19th July 2024

The official composition of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Public Health (SANT) was released today, after yesterday’s re-election of Ursula von der Leyen as president of the European Commission ...

GINN and Labstat partner to establish standards for novel nicotine products

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 18th July 2024

The UK-based Global Institute for Novel Nicotine (GINN) has launched a partnership with Labstat International, an independent testing laboratory that mainly operates in the US and Canada ...

Switzerland finds smoking down, use of alternatives up in 30-year survey results

Written by Freddie Dawson | 18th July 2024

Swiss authorities have released results of a 30-year study on smoking and tobacco use in the country, tracking answers to a health survey conducted from 1992 to 2022 ...

Revival of UK birthdate ban on purchase of smoking products will impact HTPs

Written by Freddie Dawson | 18th July 2024

The Labour government used the king’s speech to announce it plans to introduce a Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which is effectively a revival of the previous Conservative proposal ...

Dutch citizens’ initiative for birthdate ban on nicotine products moves to parliament

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 17th July 2024

In the Netherlands, the citizens’ initiative to achieve a nicotine-free generation has collected more than 40,000 signatures and has been declared admissible by the House of Representatives ...

Election of Sheinbaum spells trouble for Mexico’s tobacco alternatives industry

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 17th July 2024

The election of Claudia Sheinbaum as Mexico’s president is seen as a negative result for the tobacco alternatives sector, given her support for a constitutional ban on vapes and similar devices ...

Polish finance ministry eyes tax hikes on novel and conventional tobacco products

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 16th July 2024

The Polish Ministry of Finance has unveiled plans to amend the country’s excise tax legislation, declaring it will significantly increase the rates on e-liquids, novel tobacco products (NTPs), cigarettes and tobacco in 2025 ...

No timeline yet as Canada starts process of further restricting nicotine pouches

Written by Freddie Dawson | 12th July 2024

The Canadian government has initiated the process that will lead to new restrictions on nicotine pouches – restrictions some in the industry say should be extended to all nicotine replacement therapy products ...

Ditching smoking for ENDS products may improve oral health, Italian study finds

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 12th July 2024

Users of smoke-free nicotine products may enjoy better dental health than tobacco smokers, according to a study that found electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) to be associated with a lower accumulation of dental plaque ...

Pouches could hook youth on nicotine, says US assessment of available research

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 11th July 2024

The use of nicotine pouches may lead to potential harmful consequences in young users, according to a US assessment of the not-so-extensive research so far available on the topic ...

EC smoke-free recommendation revision (probably) arriving this year after delays

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 11th July 2024

Previous delays and European health commissioner describing the work as “particularly challenging” could indicate that the European Commission’s proposal for revising its smoke-free environment recommendation is at risk of further postponement ...

22nd Century set to fully launch VLN in South Korea after lessons learned in trial

Written by Freddie Dawson | 10th July 2024

US-based 22nd Century will move to a full roll out of its VLN brand very-low-nicotine cigarette products in the South Korean market, where it had previously launched a limited trial run ...

How UK and French election results could impact the tobacco alternatives industry

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 9th July 2024

The outcomes of the recent general elections in the UK and France could significantly affect the future of the tobacco alternatives industry in both countries ...

New UK government could favour harm reduction but also a generational ban

Written by Barnaby Page | 9th July 2024

As the new UK prime minister settles in, attempts are already being made to push novel nicotine regulation to the top of his agenda, and similar attempts are being made by lobbyists in every sector...

BAT’s Glo disappears from market in Malaysia, Philippines and South Africa

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 5th July 2024

The Glo heated tobacco device from British American Tobacco (BAT) appears to have been pulled from at least three international markets, where TobaccoIntelligence has noted that BAT no longer lists Glo as available ...

WHO issues its first-ever guidelines on clinical treatment for tobacco cessation

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 4th July 2024

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released its first recommendations on clinical treatment for tobacco-use cessation, aimed at helping users quit all types of tobacco products ...

Ten lessons learned over a decade of covering the novel nicotine industry

Written by Barnaby Page | 4th July 2024

In this part of a series of articles celebrating the tenth anniversary of Tamarind Intelligence, our editorial director shares ten things he’s learned about the sector in the last ten years ...

End of Chevron deference gives courts the potential to overrule US FDA decisions

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 3rd July 2024

The US Supreme Court has overturned the Chevron doctrine, which held that courts should defer to interpretations of expert federal agencies on ambiguous laws the agencies must implement ...

Spotlight on nicotine analogues in the US triggers regulatory and health questions

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 3rd July 2024

The tobacco industry, public health groups, and the World Health Organization have all recently drawn attention to nicotine analogues – what are these compounds and why the attention? ...

KT&G uses new fast-charging tech to revamp Lil Aible heated tobacco device

Written by Freddie Dawson | 2nd July 2024

KT&G has unveiled a new version of its Lil Aible heated tobacco device. The South Korean tobacco company highlighted the improved charging and pre-heating times of Lil Aible 2.0 ...

Halt of Zyn online sales: PMI likely using caution due to scrutiny of DC flavour ban

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 1st July 2024

Philip Morris International (PMI) recently suspended online sales of its nicotine pouch brand Zyn in the US, likely as a precautionary measure ...

Canada’s health minister has new powers to wield in battle over nicotine pouches

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 28th June 2024

Canada’s parliament has adopted legislation that will give the federal health minister sweeping new powers to regulate nicotine pouches, only days after Health Canada cracked down on two nicotine pouch brands ...

Altria seeks US FDA authorisation to market On! Plus oral nicotine pouches

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 27th June 2024

Tobacco giant Altria has submitted premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its On! Plus oral nicotine pouch products ...

EU countries called for flavour ban before Commission released related survey data

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 26th June 2024

Last week, 12 EU health ministers backed a paper calling on the European Commission to propose new legislation, which could include banning flavoured vapes and limiting nicotine content ...

Lessons learned from the thought-provoking Global Forum on Nicotine

Written by Barnaby Page | 21st June 2024

The Global Forum on Nicotine was in Warsaw again last week, and once again proved to be one of the most thought-provoking events on the tobacco harm reduction calendar ...

PMI suspends online sales of Zyn pouches in US due to District of Columbia probe

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 19th June 2024

Philip Morris International halted online sales of its Zyn nicotine pouches in the US after receiving a subpoena from the District of Columbia attorney general requesting information about sales of flavoured Zyn pouches in DC...

Swedish consumer ombudsman sues Westridge for TikTok nicotine pouch ads

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 18th June 2024

Santa opening an advent calendar and people taste-testing nicotine pouches on TikTok is not acceptable marketing, says the Swedish Consumer Agency, which is suing Westridge Group for breaking the legal requirements for nicotine product ads...

Health Canada issues recall for Zyn nicotine pouches not authorised for sale

Written by Freddie Dawson | 14th June 2024

Health Canada has issued a recall on Zyn nicotine pouches being sold in the country without proper market authorisation, which is only granted by the agency following an application process ...

With a right-leaning EU Parliament, what is the future of novel tobacco products?

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 13th June 2024

The result of the latest European Union elections is a clear twist to the right, signalling a potential shift towards a more business-friendly and deregulated environment for the vaping and heated tobacco industries ...

Can a WHO witch hunt stop the next generation from getting hooked?

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 6th June 2024

The World Health Organization (WHO) chose to dedicate this year’s World No Tobacco Day to exposing practices used by the tobacco industry to “hook the next generation” into becoming its customers for life ...

Latin America: regulatory news round-up

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 3rd June 2024

Developments in the alternatives category in some Latin American countries may feed new hopes for legality and regulation. However, the majority keep heading towards stringent regulations or prohibitions ...

Relative harm beats absolute harm when it comes to aids for smoking cessation

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 30th May 2024

Relative harm is a far more important consideration than absolute harm when it comes to deciding whether to use e-cigarettes to quit smoking, according to addiction specialist Garrett McGovern ...

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