Author: David Palacios Rubio

The final report of the Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECA) is expected to ask the Commission to implement a blanket ban on “all characteristic flavours” in heated tobacco and novel tobacco products…

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…

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”…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Tobacco corporations seem to be accelerating their commitment towards more sustainable businesses, investing in projects to reduce environmental harm caused by tobacco-alternative devices…

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…

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…

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 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 the market…

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…

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…

A recent step forward on HnB taken by the FDA could be behind the shift of the Mexican government toward allowing the sale of these smoke-free devices…

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

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

A proposal by the New Zealand government to limit the number of shops that can sell tobacco products is causing concern among the country’s retailers, who would need to apply for new business licences…

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…

The European Commission is planning strong action to enhance the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) and warns that the current legislation “does not fully capture” some new products, such as nicotine pouches…

A judge of the US International Trade Commission (ITC) believes Philip Morris International (PMI)’s Iqos heated tobacco sticks infringe patents owned by British American Tobacco (BAT)…

The US FDA considers that the Modified Risk Tobacco Product Application (MRTP) for Philip Morris International (PMI)’s Iqos 3 holder and charger is “sufficiently complete” to start a substantive review…

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 Control (WHO FCTC) and amid political tensions on the future of tobacco and smoke-free product regulation. The online webinar – […]…

Tax officials in Brussels are agreed that the harmonising of excise duties on tobacco alternatives is urgent after calls from EU member states and the sector to put an end to the different national tax regimes in Europe…

The UK review of the 2016 Tobacco and Related Products Regulations (TRPR) should cover other tobacco-alternative products and not just e-cigarettes, respondents to an official consulation said…

A report commissioned by the Swedish government recommends stricter regulation of tobacco-alternatives, including new age limits for the sale of tobacco-free snus and a blanket ban on advertising…

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…

Swedish Match is set to join efforts to promote harmonised regulation of nicotine pouches across the EU at a critical time for the future of tobacco-alternative products in Europe…

The European Ombudsman has accused the European Commission of failing to “proactively publish” details of all its interactions with the tobacco industry…

A new report from Public Health England (PHE) advises that non-tobacco nicotine products should be included in the post-Brexit UK revision of the 2016 Tobacco and Related Products Regulations (TRPR)…

The German government is proposing an increased levy on heat-not-burn (HnB) consumables from 2022, bringing them under the same tax burden as traditional cigarettes…

BAT delivered similar results in 2020 to the previous year despite the pandemic and a slip in its heated tobacco portfolio – boosted by growth in its oral tobacco products in the second half of the year…

Swedish Match posted an operating profit of nearly SEK 7bn ($845m) in 2020, up 23% on the previous year, thanks largely to a good performance by its ZYN nicotine pouches and record US sales The company posted an operating profit of nearly SEK 7bn ($845m) in 2020, an increase of 23% against 2019….

PMI is spreading optimism about its “beyond nicotine” portfolio, aiming to reach $1bn revenue from tobacco-alternatives in less than five years’ time, with an expected increase in the demand of heated tobacco consumables…

Intense debate has begun in the European Parliament on Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, presented by the European Commission last week, including suggested measures to tighten regulation of tobacco alternatives…

The European Commission’s newly outlined Beating Cancer Plan places a focus on tobacco-alternative products such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco…

A coalition of US attorneys called on the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban menthol cigarettes “in the best interest of the public” and no longer delay a process that has been on stand-by since 2018…

Imperial Brands has announced a substantial shift in strategy towards its next-generation products category, with a focus on investment in heated tobacco in Europe over the next five years…

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is looking to appoint a new company to provide public communication services to the agency’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP)…