Market & legal data of the tobacco alternatives sector in Asia

Hong Kong 'could miss its goal of cutting smoking' due to new tobacco restrictions

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 13th June 2022

New regulations that came into force at the end of April will make it hard for Hong Kong to achieve its 2025 smoking reduction targets, one concerned harm reduction association claims ...

22nd Century reports Q1 2022 results, looks to expand with VLN cigarettes

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 9th June 2022

22nd Century Group has confirmed the first international shipments of very low nicotine (VLN) cigarettes to South Korea and is expecting to see significant benefits from the sales of its menthol line of VLN cigarettes...

Health, environment damage: alternative tobacco products 'are not the solution'

Written by Freddie Dawson | 3rd June 2022

Next-generation tobacco products are not the solution to damage caused by the tobacco industry to both public health and the environment, according to speakers at a World Health Organization (WHO) conference ...

JTI reports strong Q1 performance despite uncertainties over Ukraine war

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 29th April 2022

Japan Tobacco International (JTI) saw its revenues increase by 6.2% to JPY581.5bn ($4.5bn) in the first quarter of 2022, despite uncertainties over its business in Russia, compared with 5.3% growth to JPY547.3bn ($4.2bn) in the...

PMI reveals 'solid performance', with significant growth in its HnB portfolio

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 22nd April 2022

Philip Morris International (PMI) saw positive numbers for the first quarter of 2022, with Iqos Iluma performing well in Japan, Switzerland and Spain ...

HnB takes more than 30% of the Japanese tobacco market for the first time ever

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 8th March 2022

Heat-not-burn (HnB) products took more than a third of the total tobacco market in Japan for the first time, in the last quarter of 2021, as the shift from traditional cigarettes continued ...

22nd Century expands its VLN cigarettes in the US, and moves into South Korea

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 3rd March 2022

US company 22nd Century reports its full-year results for 2021, with a company loss but increased net sales, and plans for expansion for its VLN cigarettes both domestically and internationally ...

Do sin taxes achieve the desired effect, or do they add up to a temptation to sin?

Written by Aidan Semmens | 17th February 2022

Whatever the motives behind it, punitive or would-be persuasive taxation has many of the same drawbacks as prohibition ...

BAT enjoys big rises in revenue from novel categories, led by modern oral

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 17th February 2022

British American Tobacco (BAT) saw revenue from its new products category portfolio rise by 42.4% in 2021 to £2.05bn, driven in part by an increase in sales of its modern oral products ...

JTI puts heated tobacco growth at the heart of its plans for a reduced risk future

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 16th February 2022

Japan Tobacco International (JTI) will look to prioritise heated tobacco as part of its commitment to break even on its reduced risk portfolio (RRP) by 2027 ...

Heated tobacco successes help PMI stay positive as cigarette sales go on sliding

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 14th February 2022

Philip Morris International (PMI) posted positive numbers for 2021, helped by higher unit volumes in heated tobacco and outstanding initial results from its fourth-generation heated tobacco device Iqos Iluma ...

Philippine doctors urge president to veto novel tobacco bill over addiction fears

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 3rd February 2022

The Philippine College of Physicians is lobbying against a bill to regulate vaping and novel tobacco products. They object to a lower age limit and the removal of flavour restrictions ...

Stricter vaping regulation could be good news for other alternatives in 2022

Written by Freddie Dawson | 31st January 2022

Consumers will continue to increasingly spread usage out over different alternative nicotine products partiy driven by further, stricter vaping regulation across the globe throughout 2022, TobaccoIntelligence predicts ...

TobaccoIntelligence's predictions for 2021 reviewed – how well did we do?

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 21st January 2022

TobaccoIntelligence showed excellent understanding of the industry and a capacity for accurate analysis with its 2021 predictions, most of which hit during the year ...

Taiwan close to legalising heated tobacco products, with controls

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 20th January 2022

Draft amendments to the Taiwan Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act are awaiting approval by the parliament. They will include the legalisation of heated tobacco products, with controls on sales ...

Meta-analysis study emphasises the lack of high-quality research into HnB

Written by Barnaby Page | 13th January 2022

The heated tobacco sector has, compared with its cousin vapour, always suffered from a lack of scientific research and from the perception that most of what does exist is industry-funded ...

Global Trends report reveals extent of alternatives' growing market share

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 12th January 2022

Alternative tobacco products, including heated tobacco and nicotine pouches, have taken worldwide sales from combustibles over the past three years, with the cigarette segment declining by 5% ...

2021 in review: As smoking declines, tobacco alternatives take up the slack

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 10th January 2022

2021 may have been a downer in many other areas but the year saw phenomenal growth across tobacco alternatives, including in the oral segment, heated tobacco and nicotine pouches ...

‘It doesn’t make sense’ – public health expert criticises Taipei’s HnB ban

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 27th December 2021

A new blanket ban in Taiwan’s capital on the sale and import of tobacco-alternative products is heavy-handed and nonsensical, an expert in the city’s medical university says ...

F1 moves on from tobacco promotion as PMI and Ferrari go their separate ways

Written by Aidan Semmens | 16th December 2021

It’s the end of an era as tobacco sponsorship of Formula One racing comes to an end – again. Or does it and is it? ...

Main players keep up the heat as HnB continues its strong growth in Japan

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 15th December 2021

Japan’s heated tobacco sector is continuing to grow strongly and to take market share from traditional cigarettes, with the main players releasing new devices and revamping their heat-not-burn (HnB) divisions ...

China brings 'new tobacco products' under its tobacco monopoly umbrella

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 30th November 2021

The State Council of China has approved an addition to the Tobacco Monopoly Law, clarifying what has been a grey area surrounding the regulation and categorisation of tobacco-alternative products ...

What caused a scrap in the Philippines government over tobacco alternatives?

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 24th November 2021

Conflict between public health and political-economic interests seems to be the main reason behind an internal dispute between the Philippine delegation to COP9 and officials at the country’s Department of Health ...

Concern grows over influencers' social media promotion of tobacco products

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 10th November 2021

The misleading advertising of tobacco alternatives on social media has become a critical concern of public health groups and some governments around the world ...

JTI to focus energy on the 'encouraging' performance of Ploom X in Japan

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 2nd November 2021

Japan Tobacco International (JTI) has posted positive figures for the first nine months of the year, with a good performance from its reduced-risk products in its domestic market ...

Hong Kong cracks down on heated tobacco with import and sales ban

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 25th October 2021

Hong Kong’s lawmakers have passed a bill banning the import and sale of tobacco-alternative products, including heated tobacco ...

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

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 20th October 2021

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 ...

Patents for HnB and smokeless tobacco products on the rise, research finds

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 18th October 2021

Patents for tobacco alternatives have been booming in recent times as tobacco companies position themselves as contributors to a smoke-free world ...

Kyrgyzstan brings HnB under national ban on tobacco use in public places

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 12th October 2021

The use of tobacco products – including heat-not-burn (HnB) devices – in public places becomes illegal in Kyrgyzstan tomorrow, 13th October, after the country’s president signed a new law ...

PMI launches Iqos Iluma in Japan, with new induction-heating technology

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 17th August 2021

Philip Morris International (PMI) has launched Iqos Iluma in Japan today as part of the company’s plan to achieve a smoke-free future ...

Localities and regions take a harsher approach towards HnB in Taiwan

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 16th August 2021

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 ...

JT sees positive numbers amid 'momentum' of its HnB portfolio

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 30th July 2021

JTI posted positive numbers in the first half of the year, with good performance from its reduced-risk products and improvement in its full-year guidance after the launch of Ploom X ...

PMI raises its sights for 2021 as Europe leads the rush towards heated tobacco

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 20th July 2021

Philip Morris International (PMI)’s net revenues were up by 10% in the first half of 2021, with smoke-free products accounting for 28.5% of the total ...

Japanese health ministry denies plan to widen access to tobacco-free pouches

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 14th July 2021

Regulations governing nicotine pouches in Japan are unlikely to change in the near future despite rumours to the contrary ...

The Japanese innovation that could help normalise heated tobacco everywhere

Written by Barnaby Page | 1st July 2021

A new development in Japan sets an example which proponents of harm reduction could do well to advocate elsewhere – the increasing trend toward heated-tobacco-only areas in public spaces ...

From the ski slopes to the karaoke bar, Japan goes smoke-free with HnB

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 28th June 2021

A growing number of leisure facilities in Japan are going smoke-free by allowing only heated tobacco products to be used, or establishing dedicated areas for them, in response to stricter rules on indoor smoking ...

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

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 23rd June 2021

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

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 ...

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...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Hong Kong legislators raise doubts over government plans to ban heated tobacco

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 20th January 2021

Lawmakers in Hong Kong who met to discuss the government’s long-delayed proposal to ban heated tobacco products remained divided on the issue ...

Filipino government issues packaging restrictions amid FDA cash scandal

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 28th December 2020

A joint memorandum from several government agencies laying down rules for tobacco-alternative products in the Philippines establishes new restrictions on flavours and changes to labelling requirements ...

Legal eagles' report calls for reform and enforcement of India's tobacco controls

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 17th December 2020

A report by the National Law School of India University calls for wide-ranging reforms of the country’s Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, including raising the legal age to buy tobacco from 18 to 21...

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