Taiwan’s long-awaited heated tobacco product (HTP) launch turned chaotic. Products hit shelves on 17th October, only to be pulled the same day by inspectors for labelling violations.
After a long regulatory delay, the launch had proceeded only after the products successfully passed a required health risk assessment from the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The review resulted in 14 HTPs from two companies being conditionally approved for sale, meaning that packaging, labelling, monitoring and other regulatory requirements had to be met before the full market launch. What should have been a victory for the companies involved resulted in products being withdrawn from sale the same day and further arguments about promotion.
