TobaccoIntelligence open content

Are novel nicotine products a ‘huge distraction’ from the real problem?

Written by Barnaby Page | 19th May 2022

Speaking at the launch of the seventh edition of the Atlas, US public health scholar Jeffrey Drope suggested that new nicotine technologies are “a huge distraction” which have “confused governments, the public health community and...

Swedish Match releases Q1 2022 results following $16bn takeover bid from PMI

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 12th May 2022

Swedish Match saw its smoke-free portfolio continuing to drive sales as well as increase operating profits in the first quarter of 2022, compared with the same period in 2021, and attributed this positive performance to...

What would PMI’s takeover of Swedish Match mean for the sector?

Written by Barnaby Page | 12th May 2022

The $16bn takeover of Swedish Match by Philip Morris International (PMI) now seems more likely to happen than not (at least as of today; these things are never certain until the last signature is signed)...

As US FDA moves towards a menthol ban, what might it mean for novel products?

Written by Barnaby Page | 5th May 2022

The long-mooted proposal to prohibit menthol is the most dramatic step the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken since the 2009 Tobacco Control Act exempted menthol from a general ban on flavoured tobacco...

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...

Why we don’t always get the science we need – and what can be done about it

Written by Barnaby Page | 20th April 2022

Is the present system of peer-reviewed journal publication of scientific papers the best way to get the best science – particularly in the controversial world of tobacco? There are those who think it may not...

Steady as she goes – nothing much is set to change at the CTP on Mital’s watch

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 13th April 2022

What will Michele Mital’s reign as acting director of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) mean in terms of policy? ...

BAT increases its investment in cannabis as it continues to look beyond nicotine

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 13th April 2022

British American Tobacco (BAT) has invested a further CAD6.3m (USD5.03m) in the Canadian cannabis company Organigram, thereby increasing its stake from 18.8% to 19.5% ...

Change is afoot at the US CTP and CDC – but what will it mean for tobacco?

Written by Barnaby Page | 8th April 2022

Michele Mital’s appointment as acting head of the Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) is not bad news for the industry, even if it’s not quite good news. And there may be bigger change at the...

Study finds considerable awareness of nicotine pouches among young US adults

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 6th April 2022

A new study suggests awareness of nicotine pouches among young US adult smokers is high, given the low market penetration of oral tobacco products in the country ...

How a popular tax on nicotine products could turn out to be bad for the children

Written by Aidan Semmens | 6th April 2022

A no-doubt well-meaning ballot measure enthusiastically taken up by voters just 18 months ago now has General Assembly members in the US state of Colorado tied up in a knot of their own making ...

Harm reduction is a difficult but vital message to convey to the world’s poorest

Written by Barnaby Page | 31st March 2022

Broadening the appeal of tobacco harm reduction (THR) products in low- and middle-income countries can be an uphill struggle, though it arguably matters more there than anywhere else ...

Brief window of change as US FDA takes charge of synthetic nicotine regulation

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 29th March 2022

TobaccoIntelligence has put together a timeline outlining the major points to look out for over the summer as the US FDA brings synthetic nicotine into the premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) process ...

Plenty of food for thought as nicotine researchers get their heads together

Written by Barnaby Page | 24th March 2022

The Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) published a huge number of research abstracts to accompany its annual get-together – here are some of the highlights ...

Denmark prepares to lead Europe with its first planned tobacco-free generation

Written by Marija Obradovic | 16th March 2022

Denmark could become the first country in Europe to impose a generational limit on access to tobacco and nicotine products, with a plan to ban access to tobacco and nicotine products to anyone born in...

‘World leader’ Britain fails at the first post-Brexit hurdle on novel tobacco

Written by Freddie Dawson | 16th March 2022

When it comes to taking advantage of Brexit's opportunities for tobacco reform, the UK appears to have balked worse than a horse at its final Olympics pentathlon ...

Big Tobacco shuts down in Russia, lends aid to employees there and in Ukraine

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 14th March 2022

Imperial Brands has announced that it is suspending all operations in Russia, including domestic production, and all sales and marketing activity as a result of international sanctions and the consequential severe disruption ...

New study on nicotine pouches stresses importance of understanding products

Written by Barnaby Page | 10th March 2022

As the market for nicotine pouches swells, there is – just as with heated tobacco a few years ago – a risk that regulatory interest outpaces scientific research ...

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 ...

What science should we be following on novel tobacco products – and how far?

Written by Barnaby Page | 2nd March 2022

“Following the science” is one of the most misleading, clichés of the pandemic, and both advocates and enemies of novel tobacco products need to be cautious of claiming to do the same thing ...