LATEST ALERTS
Politics & policy
Europe adopts compromise position on reduced risk products to beat cancer
21st February 2022 - News analysis |
The European Parliament has adopted the BECA report – the first time a European institution has formally acknowledged reduced risk products could play a role in smoking cessation – with some caveats
Do sin taxes achieve the desired effect, or do they add up to a temptation to sin?
17th February 2022 - Blog , News analysis |
Whatever the motives behind it, punitive or would-be persuasive taxation has many of the same drawbacks as prohibition
Parliament discusses new regulations…
16th February 2022 - Alerts | Bosnia and Herzegovina, Europe |
Senate in a hurry over FDA appointment…
15th February 2022 - Alerts | United States |
MEPs prepare for first full parliamentary debate on European ‘beating cancer’ plan
8th February 2022 - News analysis |
The European Parliament’s first debate on the Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECA)’s report into how to strengthen Europe’s fight against cancer will take place on 15th February
Philippine doctors urge president to veto novel tobacco bill over addiction fears
3rd February 2022 - News analysis |
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
Why does Switzerland lag behind its neighbours on tobacco control issues?
7th January 2022 - Blog , News analysis |
Switzerland faces two referendum votes crucial to the future of tobacco product advertising in the country
‘It doesn’t make sense’ – public health expert criticises Taipei’s HnB ban
27th December 2021 - News analysis |
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
New Zealand’s cunning birthdate-based scheme to wipe out smoking for good
22nd December 2021 - Blog , News analysis |
New Zealand has designated a cohort of young people – those who will be 14 or younger when the government’s proposed law comes into effect – who will never be old enough to smoke
US Senate committee ditches nicotine tax from Biden’s Build Back Better Bill
14th December 2021 - News analysis |
The US Senate Finance Committee has made “targeted improvements” to president Joe Biden’s $2tn social spending package – including removing the proposal of a federal tax on tobacco alternatives
How will TPD3 deal with newly emerged products? Our survey offers a few clues
2nd December 2021 - Blog , News analysis |
Sooner or later the EU will have a new Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), and one of the big questions will be how it treats new product categories which barely existed at the time of TPD2
How have MEPs changed in their views about new nicotine products?
30th November 2021 - Heated tobacco regulatory reports , Nicotine pouches regulatory reports , Regulatory reports |
TobaccoIntelligence carried out a second survey of MEPs, following a similar survey in 2020, to find out how their views on new nicotine products – e-cigarettes, heated tobacco and nicotine pouches – have changed
China brings ‘new tobacco products’ under its tobacco monopoly umbrella
30th November 2021 - News analysis |
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?
24th November 2021 - Blog , News analysis |
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
US House gives green light to new tax on nicotine pouches in Biden’s spending bill
22nd November 2021 - News analysis |
The US House of Representatives has passed by 220 votes to 213 president Joe Biden’s $1.75tn social spending bill, including a new federal tax on nicotine pouches
UK Tobacco Control Plan ‘must tackle misinformation’ about alternatives
18th November 2021 - News analysis |
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
Califf may hit the ground running – but which way will he go on nicotine?
18th November 2021 - Blog , News analysis |
Robert Califf’s expected return to head the US FDA has excited plenty of attention in the world of e-cigarettes, but there’s been much less talk about the likely impact on heated tobacco, pouches and other novel nicotine products
Regulatory report: Portugal – HnB, oral tobacco and nicotine pouches, November 2021
12th November 2021 - Heated tobacco regulatory reports , Nicotine pouches regulatory reports , Regulatory reports |
In Portugal heated tobacco and other “novelties” are subject to the same restrictions as traditional cigarettes in terms of sales, advertising and public place usage. Official authorisation must be obtained before marketing products
COP9 parties agree on ‘need to regulate’ heated tobacco products
12th November 2021 - News analysis |
The all-online COP9 finished without major decision, but with calls for serious attention to be given to novel and emerging tobacco products at COP10 in 2023
WHO accused of ‘counterproductive, irrational’ policy on alternatives
8th November 2021 - News analysis |
Experts have urged the parties to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) to embrace a “more assertive” stance on smoke-free alternatives
Three possible reasons for WHO decision to keep alternatives out of tobacco talks
4th November 2021 - Blog , News analysis |
Why won’t the World Health Organization (WHO) talk about tobacco alternatives? It’s never been shy before about putting forward its extreme scepticism
EU criticises WHO over ‘unprecedented’ delay in talks on tobacco alternatives
29th October 2021 - News analysis |
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
‘Utopian’ – but is a global consensus on smoke-free alternatives a realistic goal?
14th October 2021 - Blog , News analysis |
A global consensus between industry, scientists and regulators around the role of tobacco alternatives in smoking cessation could be reached in the long term, but experts believe achieving more cooperation is a major challenge
What e-cigarette process tells us about the US FDA’s thinking on tobacco
7th October 2021 - Blog , News analysis |
Some light is now dawning on some truths long since suspected about the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s approach to tobacco-alternative products of all kinds through its cumbersome evaluation of e-cigarettes
Regulatory report: the EU’s BECA plan and its proposed amendments
6th October 2021 - Heated tobacco regulatory reports , Nicotine pouches regulatory reports , Regulatory reports |
MEPs recently submitted proposed amendments to the draft report on strengthening Europe in the fight against cancer. TobaccoIntelligence has read and summarised the most impactful amendments
MEPs want tighter flavour restrictions and ‘proportionate’ tax to beat cancer
5th October 2021 - News analysis |
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
WHO FCTC members urged to change attitude towards tobacco alternatives
27th September 2021 - News analysis |
Industry representatives have called for a change of heart within the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) to improve the governance and evolution of the global industry
New junior health minister takes charge of UK policy on tobacco alternatives
24th September 2021 - News analysis |
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?
21st September 2021 - News analysis |
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 to take
European cancer report ‘should include reference to reduced-harm products’
14th September 2021 - News analysis |
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 been officially endorsed
Congress committees ready to slash Biden’s suggested FDA budget figure
31st August 2021 - News analysis |
Both the House and Senate are intent on increasing the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) budget for next year, but the figure is likely to be far short of the $6.5bn initially requested by president Joe Biden
HnB facing ‘passive smoking’ clampdown as German state considers new rules
30th August 2021 - News analysis |
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
US state attorneys warn of ‘the next Juul’ and urge FDA to act on oral nicotine
24th August 2021 - News analysis |
A group of 31 US state attorneys general have accused the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of failing to impose rules setting “acceptable levels of nicotine” for oral nicotine products and called for a flavour ban
Will the UK government end up blocking PMI-Vectura deal in the public interest?
5th August 2021 - Blog , News analysis |
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 do so
MPs urge UK government to be ambitious in aiming for a ‘smoke-free’ England
27th July 2021 - News analysis |
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
22nd July 2021 - News analysis |
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
Dutch tobacco advertising restrictions likely to pass despite objections
5th July 2021 - News analysis |
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
Los Angeles bids to join California-wide assault on menthol and other flavours
5th July 2021 - News analysis |
Los Angeles is in the early stages of preparing to ban flavoured tobacco products, the local government having authorised the drafting of a measure to end the sale of such products in the city’s 4,500 tobacco retailers
WHO warns governments to beware tobacco firms’ attempts to dodge rules
30th June 2021 - News analysis |
A report from the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends governments and health officials around the world to pay attention to attempts by the tobacco industry to avoid product regulations
Pakistan proposes its first ever tax on imported heated tobacco products
22nd June 2021 - News analysis |
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
Germany has second thoughts, lowering the tax pressure on heated tobacco
16th June 2021 - News analysis |
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
14th June 2021 - News analysis |
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
The WHO, the where and the why
4th June 2021 - Blog , News analysis |
Advocates for novel tobacco products often get infuriated with the oppositional stance taken by the World Health Organization – but might there be some fair reason behind the WHO’s less-than-enthusiastic view?
New UK health agency likely to maintain good will towards tobacco alternatives
3rd June 2021 - News analysis |
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
