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.
COP8 fails to bring parties together on the crucial risk/benefit question
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 9th October 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
COP8 closed its doors in Geneva with governments struggling to regulate e-cigarettes due to the lack of scientific proof on potential risks or benefits ...
No softening likely in WHO’s antagonism to e-cigs and HnB
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 4th October 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
The rhetoric coming out of the eighth Conference of the Parties (COP8) in Geneva suggests the World Health Organization is unlikely to give vaping products or HnB a role in its anti-tobacco policies any time...
EU urges WHO to focus on heated tobacco, suggests advertising bans
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 3rd October 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
The EU is calling on the World Health Organization to become more involved in regulating heated tobacco – and is urging tight advertising restrictions on the category ...COP8 tackles ‘growing challenge’ of vaping and ‘industry interference’
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 1st October 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
E-cigarettes and other tobacco alternatives are making it tougher for regulators and those who administer tobacco laws to do their jobs, the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) says in a new report ...
ENDS and means up for debate at WHO’s COP8 gathering
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 27th September 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
The role of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco will again be discussed next week at the eighth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP8) to the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control...
European Commission told: we don’t want an EU e-cig tax
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 25th September 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
Most respondents to the European Commission’s consultation on tobacco excise duties do not want a European tax on e-cigarettes. Almost 70% said the best level of tax on e-cigarettes would be no more than the VAT in each...
India: central government asks states to ban e-cigs and heated tobacco
Written by Marija Obradovic || 28th August 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
India’s Ministry of Health, Family and Welfare has issued an advisory to all states to ban e-cigarettes and heated tobacco ...
Israel bans Juul with nicotine limit, prepares tighter e-cig regulation
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 23rd August 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has signed an administrative order prohibiting the import and marketing of any e-cigarette product with a nicotine concentration higher than 20...
MPs back easing of e-cig regulation – but leave the door open to taxes
Written by Freddie Dawson || 17th August 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
Conclusions and recommendations from the Parliamentary Science and Technology Committee investigation into e-cigarettes have confirmed yet again the UK’s status as the most vape-friendly major...
Chinese authorities arrest 30 suspects in two HnB smuggling cases
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 10th August 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
A total of 30 suspects have been arrested in a joint anti-smuggling operation by Chinese law enforcement. China Tobacco Ningbo, Ningbo municipal police department and Ningbo municipal anti-smuggling bureau joined forces ...
PMI runs into trouble with UK government over IQOS ads
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 24th July 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
Philip Morris International (PMI) is seeking an “urgent meeting” with the UK Department of Health after being told to stop advertising its heated tobacco device...
UK’s tax plans include a new category for heated tobacco
Written by Freddie Dawson || 9th July 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
Heated-tobacco products are to receive their own taxation category and rate in the UK. A rate and commencement date for the duty on tobacco consumables for heat-not-burn (HnB) products will be announced in the autumn budget ...
Scots to consult on their vision for a tobacco-free future
Written by Freddie Dawson || 27th June 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
The Scottish government will consult on a range of new regulations for reduced-risk products, including further restrictions on e-cig advertising, banning some flavours in Hnb products, and banning their public...
Hong Kong moves towards legal HnB, while keeping e-cigs tightly controlled
Written by Freddie Dawson || 20th June 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
Hong Kong plans to regulate HnB products in the same way as conventional cigarettes, lifting a rarely-enforced ban. But the current heavy restrictions on nicotine-containing e-cigarettes will...
South Korea takes new graphic approach to e-cig and HnB warnings
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 11th June 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
The South Korean government is stepping up its efforts to discourage use of electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products with new graphic health warning images that will appear on packages later this...
Israel to crack down on Juul before general e-cigarette regulation
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 11th June 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
A few weeks after the launch of the Juul vaping device on the Israeli market, the Ministry of Health has announced restrictive measures against its sale, claiming it contains too much...
Italy’s vapers breathe a sigh of relief as new government steps in
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 7th June 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
After several weeks of hectic negotiations between the Lega and Five Star Movement parties – both of which have expressed a commitment to vaping – the new coalition has finally taken power in...
Netherlands pulls out of international e-cig and tobacco committees
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 6th June 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
The Netherlands is pulling out of a number of international e-cigarette and tobacco committees, blaming industry interference, but will carry on with regulation of heated tobacco and nicotine-free...
Industry fears over possible European tax on vaping products
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 25th May 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
Concern over a future European tax on e-cigarettes is sure to rise following the launch of a second consultation on the subject by European Union (EU)...
New Zealand gives the all-clear to vaping and HnB – but ads are out
Written by Freddie Dawson || 16th May 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
E-cigarettes and heated tobacco can continue to be sold in New Zealand under current regulations, the country’s government has formally...
Colombian health ministry calls for IQOS to be treated like combustibles
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 30th April 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
Colombia’s health and finance ministries have moved to force heated tobacco products such as IQOS to comply with the country’s tobacco law, arguing there is no evidence to suggest that they present any lower risk than...
Court lifts Switzerland’s ban on sales of e-cigs with nicotine
Written by Elba Manzanilla Zapata || 30th April 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
The Swiss Federal Administrative Court has reportedly lifted the sales ban on nicotine-containing e-cigarettes issued in 2015 by the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office...
UK ministers consider advertising policy – both their own and PMI’s
Written by Freddie Dawson || 30th April 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
The UK government is keeping an eye on the advertising of heated tobacco products such as IQOS, while defending reduced budgets for its own smoking cessation...
Philip Morris set to appeal against Lithuanian ban on advertising IQOS
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 23rd April 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
A Philip Morris subsidiary has been fined for breaking Lithuanian tobacco advertising laws with an IQOS campaign in a decision that may have implications for wider European heated-tobacco...
Korean web of taxes brings HnB price in line with combustible cigarettes
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 3rd April 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
Regulators in South Korea have enacted new taxes on heat-not-burn (HnB) tobacco products, apparently building on previous government moves to bring prices closer in line with those of conventional cigarettes ...
Legal victory means PMI can sell Heets in New Zealand after all
Written by Freddie Dawson || 29th March 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
Philip Morris International (PMI) has won the right to sell and market heat-not-burn Heets sticks in New Zealand in a surprise legal ruling against the Ministry of...
Change afoot in Russia as Moscow puts forward plan for national regulation
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 22nd March 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
E-cigarettes and heated tobacco are currently subject to very little regulation in Russia – but that could be about to change, with proposals coming from both the federal trade ministry and the Moscow City Duma ...
FDA moves on nicotine levels in combustibles, leaving e-cigs alone
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 15th March 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
The US FDA has taken a step closer to regulating nicotine levels in combustible cigarettes, but excluded vapour products from its proposals, even predicting a low-nicotine regime might encourage smokers toward electronic alternatives ...
Brussels consults again on plans for a European e-cig and HnB tax
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 7th March 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
A new public consultation by the tax authorities in Brussels aims to help set a standard excise duty for e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products at European...
FDA publishes requested amendments to PMI’s IQOS application
Written by Daniel Mollenkamp || 26th February 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
The US FDA has made some public amendments to PMI’s reduced risk applications for IQOS and three types of Marlboro HeatSticks...
Public Health England blames the media for giving vaping a bad name
Written by Barnaby Page || 7th February 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
The latest evidence review by Public Health England credits e-cigs with helping 20,000 people a year quit smoking, and blames distorted media reporting for that figure not being a lot...
Spanish health authorities investigate IQOS online ad campaign
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 5th February 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
Authorities in the Catalonia region of Spain are investigating whether PMI broke Spanish law with a series of online banner advertisements for its IQOS heated tobacco...
FDA committee rejects two IQOS MRTP claims, approves one
Written by Barnaby Page || 25th January 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
Agency’s science committee agrees that PMI product decreases exposure to dangerous chemicals, but won’t accept broader claims of long-term risk...
New views on nicotine: now the FDA is reconsidering NRT, too
Written by Berta Camps Bisbal || 16th January 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
As the US FDA gets to grips with its new focus on nicotine as a single marketplace, it is planning to take a fresh look at one of the longest-established non-combustible forms of the substance – nicotine replacement...
Israel set to tackle e-cig regulation with a clampdown on advertising
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 15th January 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
Israel is in the process of taking a new approach to the advertising of new tobacco-related products, with a likely ban on all advertising of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products anywhere but in print and at retail...
Brussels postpones tax decision on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 12th January 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
The European Commission has said it will review the future tax situation of e-cigarettes and heated-tobacco products in 2019, and will not propose a revision of the Directive 2011/64/EU on excise duty applied to manufactured tobacco...
Regulation, creativity and variety – that was the e-cig year that was
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 27th December 2017 || Regulatory briefing |
ECigIntelligence’s review of the year gone by reflects the big stories of the e-cigarette world in 2017, the trends in regulation, the developing and diverging markets, the science and innovation, and peers into the crystal ball to consider...
Reynolds asks FDA to give Camel Snus products ‘modified risk’ status
Written by Barnaby Page || 19th December 2017 || Regulatory briefing |
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will have to consider again next year the possibility that snus could be a reduced-risk form of tobacco, following a series of applications from R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company ...
Global health group calls for HnB restrictions until science is proven
Written by Barnaby Page || 19th December 2017 || Regulatory briefing |
The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease has called for the advertising and indoor use of heat-not-burn (HnB) products to be banned until sufficient independent research has been conducted to confirm their...
HnB v e-cigs – UK toxicity committee wants to see how they match up
Written by Barnaby Page || 18th December 2017 || Regulatory briefing |
The UK government committee which this month concluded that heat-not-burn products are safer than combustibles now wants to compare them to...
Switzerland tries again with fresh proposal to regulate e-cigs and HnB
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 14th December 2017 || Regulatory briefing |
The Swiss Federal Council has put forward a second draft of its proposed Tobacco Act, which aims specifically to regulate e-cigarettes and heat-not-burn (HnB)...
Heated tobacco on the agenda as European Commission mulls next TPD
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 2nd December 2017 || Regulatory briefing |
Tighter regulation “is on the way” for e-cigs, according to the European Commission’s commissioner for health and food safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis, who sees “possibilities” for “stronger regulation” to “stop advertising and online...
EU-wide tax on e-cigs remains on back burner as report is delayed
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 27th November 2017 || Regulatory briefing |
The European Commission is considering whether to propose an EU-wide tax on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, but may choose not to do so for now, following a public...
South Korea tax rise threatens to make HnB more expensive than smoking
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 13th November 2017 || Regulatory briefing |
Heat-not-burn products will become more expensive than combustible cigarettes in South Korea unless manufacturers decide to absorb part of a new tax rise ...
New Zealand’s change of government unlikely to derail e-cig legalisation
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 6th November 2017 || Regulatory briefing |
The recent change of government following the general election in New Zealand should not derail attempts to legalise the domestic sale of nicotine-containing e-cigarettes in the...
Turkish government’s ‘secret attempt’ to legalise HnB exposed and shot down
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 1st November 2017 || Regulatory briefing |
Heated tobacco products remain banned in Turkey after opposition politicians uncovered a “hidden” bid by the government to legalise them while retaining the prohibition on...
US e-cig tax parity proposal likely to founder
Written by Berta Camps Bisbal || 27th October 2017 || Regulatory briefing |
E-cigarettes could be taxed at the same level as cigarettes if a new US proposal passes into law. TobaccoIntelligence believes this attempt is likely to fail ...
South Korea proposes HnB tax almost equal to tobacco
Written by Freddie Dawson || 23rd October 2017 || Regulatory briefing |
A new tax proposal for heat-not-burn (HnB) products in South Korea could leave them more expensive than their traditional cigarette...