Market & legal data of alternative tobacco products in Europe

Poland draws closer to raising HnB tax by 2022, with further annual increases

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 26th November 2021

A proposal in Poland to increase excise duties applying to innovative tobacco products, including heated tobacco, was passed by the parliament (Sejm) and is now waiting for the decision of the Senate ...

UK Tobacco Control Plan 'must tackle misinformation' about alternatives

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 18th November 2021

UK MPs have called on the government to ensure that the forthcoming Tobacco Control Plan will be taken as an opportunity to tackle misinformation around tobacco alternatives and to encourage switching ...

Early signs look promising for Imperial Brands' European heated tobacco trials

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 16th November 2021

Tobacco giant Imperial Brands has told investors that the ongoing trials of its Pulze heated tobacco device and iD consumables in Central and Eastern Europe were “progressing well” ...

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 ...

Switzerland moves ahead with bill to regulate heated and oral tobacco

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 4th November 2021

The Swiss Federal Assembly has adopted a longstanding bill that will implement new restrictions on tobacco-alternative products, including specific regulations on packaging and promotion ...

EU criticises WHO over 'unprecedented' delay in talks on tobacco alternatives

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 29th October 2021

European countries have publicly expressed disagreement with the World Health Organization (WHO)’s decision to postpone discussions of novel tobacco products, keeping them out of the upcoming COP9 ...

Sales up, profit down as Swedish Match pins high hopes on a smoke-free future

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 28th October 2021

Swedish Match has reported 9% growth in global sales in the first nine months of 2021, driven by its smoke-free portfolio in the US and Scandinavia, but profit and market share have not lived up...

Is plain packaging of snus working in Norway? Official body raises the question

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 27th October 2021

Researchers at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) found that plain packaging did not produce a decline in men’s snus use in Norway, with “inconclusive results” on both smoking and women’s snus use ...

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 ...

MEPs want tighter flavour restrictions and 'proportionate' tax to beat cancer

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 5th October 2021

MEPs have tabled a set of proposals to amend a draft report by the Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECA), calling on the European Commission to implement a flavour ban on all tobacco products ...

Survey backs EU-wide tax harmony on heated tobacco and oral nicotine

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 28th September 2021

New figures from the European Commission reveal broad support for harmonised tax rules for tobacco-alternative products ahead of the revision of a directive on the structure and rates of excise duties on tobacco ...

New junior health minister takes charge of UK policy on tobacco alternatives

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 24th September 2021

The appointment of Maggie Throup as UK public health minister comes at a potentially critical time for tobacco alternatives, with many hoping she will continue the harm reduction approach of her predecessor ...

Why have WHO FCTC COP9 novel tobacco discussions been postponed to 2023?

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 21st September 2021

The World Health Organization (WHO) has decided to postpone a discussion on novel tobacco products to a face-to-face event in 2023 – a decision experts are linking to a lack of consensus on what approach...

Healthy business? PMI completes its takeover of Vectura and Fertin Pharma

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 16th September 2021

Philip Morris International (PMI) has concluded its controversial £1.1bn takeover of UK health firm Vectura, along with that of the Danish oral-products manufacturer Fertin Pharma ...

Swedish Match is ready to shake up the industry by getting out of combustibles

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 15th September 2021

Swedish Match has announced that the company is to become 100% smoke-free by next year with the separation of its cigar business in the US, a decision that is likely to have an impact in...

European cancer report 'should include reference to reduced-harm products'

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 14th September 2021

Three Italian members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are hoping to introduce the concept of harm reduction into a strategy report by the Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECA), but the idea has not yet...

Nations miss the deadline to implement EU's directive on single-use plastics

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 6th September 2021

Few countries hit the deadline for implementing the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUP) to reduce the environmental impact of certain plastics – including those in heated tobacco filters – TobaccoIntelligence has found ...

HnB facing 'passive smoking' clampdown as German state considers new rules

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 30th August 2021

The German state of Hesse is targeting heated tobacco along with e-cigarettes in a new legislative initiative to update the current regulations covering smoking ...

Young adults smoked more while overall quitting rate doubled in UK lockdown

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 26th August 2021

A study by Cancer Research UK has found that the success rate of attempts to quit smoking in England almost doubled during the first Covid-19 lockdown, while smoking by young adults increased by almost 25%...

Vectura’s board supports 'fair' £1.2bn PMI takeover bid; shareholders to decide

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 13th August 2021

The board of UK health firm Vectura has recommended that shareholders support the £1.2bn takeover bid from tobacco giant PMI ...

Russia prepares proposal to ban pouches across the Eurasian economic region

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 9th August 2021

The Russian Health Ministry recently finalised a draft agreement on restricting tobacco-free white pouches across the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) territory ...

Will the UK government end up blocking PMI-Vectura deal in the public interest?

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 5th August 2021

The proposal of Philip Morris International (PMI) to acquire inhaled drug delivery company Ventura for $1.2bn has alerted the UK government, which can block the deal if it sees any major public interest reason to...

Montenegro's plan to increase heated tobacco tax misses its proposed due date

Written by Marija Obradovic | 3rd August 2021

Two months after prime minister Zdravko Krivokapić submitted a proposal to increase the tax on heated tobacco each year, the Parliament of Montenegro has still not considered it and will not now do so before...

Why is the boss of Marlboro maker PMI talking up the end of smoking days?

Written by Barnaby Page | 29th July 2021

Jacek Olczak, CEO of Philip Morris International (PMI), says the company could stop selling combustible cigarettes in the UK within a decade ...

BAT reports slight slip in global revenue while modern oral growth accelerates

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 28th July 2021

British American Tobacco (BAT) has posted a 0.8% global decrease in revenue for the first half of the year, while the performance of its new category portfolio rose by 40.4% ...

MPs urge UK government to be ambitious in aiming for a 'smoke-free' England

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 27th July 2021

MPs have called on the UK government to present “ambitious plans”, involving novel tobacco alternatives, if they want a smoke-free country by 2030 – a target many public health experts consider unreachable ...

Stricter or looser: battle lies ahead over nature of new EU tobacco product rules

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 22nd July 2021

An intense period of negotiations on a revision of EU regulation of tobacco-alternative products is coming, following the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) implementation report presented by the European Commission ...

Is plain packaging all it's cracked up to be when it comes to stubbing out smoking?

Written by Aidan Semmens | 22nd July 2021

A new study by researchers from the Luiss Business School in Rome and Deloitte comes to an unexpected and counterintuitive conclusion ...

Estonian millennials are into heated tobacco, while zoomers prefer snus

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 21st July 2021

While politicians in Estonia are currently weighing up the possibility of softening regulations for tobacco-alternative products, a new survey has unveiled new figures about the consumption of these products ...

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 ...

Pouches drive accelerating sales and revenue for confident Swedish Match

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 20th July 2021

The latest figures from Swedish Match show continued momentum in smoke-free tobacco alternatives, with nicotine pouches “the driving force” ...

PMI acquisition of gums manufacturer 'shows company strategy on alternatives'

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 12th July 2021

PMI’s acquisition of Fertin Pharma, a Danish manufacturer of gums and other oral products, indicates the company’s strategy to ensure “corporate survival” in the tobacco-alternatives sector, experts believe ...

Estonian MPs aim to soften regulations for snus and heated tobacco

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 9th July 2021

The Estonian Parliament (Riigikogu) is considering a new bill amending the country’s Tobacco Act with the aim of clarifying the regulations for snus and heated tobacco and bringing down the country's smoking rates ...

BAT pulls Velo out of German market due to uncertainty over legality of pouches

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 8th July 2021

British American Tobacco (BAT) is removing its Velo nicotine pouches from the German market because of a lack of clarity over their regulation both nationally and in the country's regional states ...

Dutch tobacco advertising restrictions likely to pass despite objections

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 5th July 2021

Some Dutch lawmakers have expressed concern about the consequences of an amendment to the Tobacco and Smoking Products Act and the introduction of new advertising restrictions on tobacco-alternative products ...

Italian Ministry of Health evaluates future regulation for nicotine pouches

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 18th June 2021

Health officials in Rome are considering regulation of nicotine pouches in the country after they seized and banned the sale of a brand of such products following a Higher Health Institute (ISS) laboratory analysis ...

Could legalising snus tap into a huge potential for smoking cessation?

Written by Barnaby Page | 18th June 2021

Two startling statistics emerge from a recent survey of smokers in Europe: nearly one in three (31%) of current smokers would be interested in trying snus if it became legal, but less than 3% are...

Germany has second thoughts, lowering the tax pressure on heated tobacco

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 16th June 2021

The German Bundestag has approved the country’s Tobacco Law, lowering the level of tax on heat-not-burn (HnB) products proposed by the government to apply from January 2022 ...

MPs say UK policy on smoking cessation should include HnB and nicotine pouches

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 14th June 2021

The British government must step up efforts to promote tobacco alternative products if it is to achieve its goal of a smoke-free society by 2030, a cross-party parliamentary committee agreed ...

Three in ten smokers would try snus if it was legalised in the EU, survey finds

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 11th June 2021

More than 31% of current European smokers would be interested in trying snus if it was legalised in the region, according to a major survey ...

BAT faces a fine of up to €5m over alleged covert heated tobacco advertising in Italy

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 11th June 2021

Italy’s antitrust regulator has opened formal procedures against British American Tobacco (BAT) for using influencers to promote an advertising campaign for Glo Hyper, and it could cost the manufacturer millions ...

BAT forecasts a 'pivotal' year for business with rise in HnB and modern oral sales

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 9th June 2021

British American Tobacco (BAT) has upgraded its annual forecast with an expectation of strong growth in new categories in post-pandemic times and a planned further rollout of its heated tobacco portfolio ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina set to regulate heated tobacco, ban oral products

Written by Marija Obradovic | 8th June 2021

Bosnia and Herzegovina has passed a bill that will harmonise the country’s tobacco regulation with the provisions of the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) and establish a regulatory framework for tobacco alternatives ...

New UK health agency likely to maintain good will towards tobacco alternatives

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 3rd June 2021

The recent shake-up of the UK’s health sector with the replacement of Public Health England (PHE) is not expected to substantially change the country’s support of novel tobacco products as aids to quit smoking ...

Logista defies the pandemic to increase HnB distribution in France and Italy

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 1st June 2021

Heated tobacco distributor Logista enjoyed an increase in business in the first six months of fiscal year 2021 despite the economic challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic ...

UK physicians suggest raising the legal tobacco age while lowering tax pressure

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 28th May 2021

The Royal College of Physicians has recommended the UK government reduce the VAT on tobacco-alternative products to 5% to encourage smokers to make the switch, and to increase the minimum legal age for sales ...

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 ...

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 ...

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” ...

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