Governments get stricter on disposables amid health and environmental concerns

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 18th September 2024 || News analysis |

Governments around the world are rushing to clamp down on disposable vapes, responding to mounting concerns over their devastating environmental impact, health risks and surging popularity among young people ...

Irish government targets flavoured and disposable vapes in sweeping crackdown

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 12th September 2024 || News analysis |

The Irish government is pressing ahead with a controversial crackdown on vaping. Health minister Stephen Donnelly has secured Cabinet approval to draft legislation banning flavoured and disposable vapes ...

The impending UK disposables ban: necessary step or gateway to illicit sales?

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 12th September 2024 || Blogs , News analysis |

The debate over vaping regulations in the UK is heating up, with recent discussions in the House of Lords (upper house of Parliament) raising concerns about the growing use of disposable vaping products by children ...

New US FDA rule reinforces youth vaping prevention, causing minimal disruption

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 5th September 2024 || News analysis |

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has introduced a new rule that increases age restrictions on tobacco and e-cigarette sales, continuing its mission to protect young people from tobacco addiction ...

Altria and Njoy respond to ITC’s initial ruling in Juul patent infringement case

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 29th August 2024 || News analysis |

Altria Group and its subsidiary Njoy have expressed their disagreement with a recent ruling by the US International Trade Commission (ITC) concerning a patent infringement complaint filed by Juul Labs ...

Elf Bar maker wins appeal to challenge US sales ban in ongoing trademark dispute

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 27th August 2024 || News analysis |

A US appeals court ruled that Shenzhen Weiboli Technology, the maker of the Elf Bar vape, can challenge a court-imposed order banning the firm from selling its products under the “Elf” trademark in the US ...

Will the new FDA import rule for ENDS products really streamline the process?

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 22nd August 2024 || Blogs , News analysis |

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Department of the Treasury have recently proposed a new rule that could significantly impact the importation process for electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) into the country ...

Big Tobacco happy with growth, but no talk of impact from regulatory changes

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 8th August 2024 || Blogs , News analysis |

All Big Tobacco companies reported growth in their smoke-free segments, reflecting a trend towards diversification from traditional cigarettes, though none have addressed the regulatory environment and its potential impact on future earnings ...

Altria tripled Njoy’s footprint in Q2 and secured premium positioning at retail

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 31st July 2024 || News analysis |

Altria reported encouraging results for its e-cigarette brand Njoy, as well as rapid expansion of in-store distribution in the second quarter of 2024. It said it strengthened Njoy's supply chain and tripled its footprint ...

BAT expects new launches to accelerate H2 performance, after revenue drop in H1

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 25th July 2024 || News analysis |

British American Tobacco reported a drop in first-half revenue, offset by the continued growth of new categories. BAT expects new-category revenue to be weighted in the second half of 2024, driven by phased launches ...

PMI’s smoke-free expansion continues, Veev One sees ‘strong traction’ in Europe

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 24th July 2024 || News analysis |

Philip Morris International recorded a multi-category, smoke-free expansion in the first half of the year. Its Veev vaping products have become the closed-pod leader in five European markets within 12 months of launch ...

EU Parliament president Von der Leyen elected to second term, SANT takes shape

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 19th July 2024 || News analysis |

The official composition of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Public Health (SANT) was released today, after yesterday’s re-election of Ursula von der Leyen as president of the European Commission ...

Dutch initiative calling for generational sales ban on nicotine products accepted

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 17th July 2024 || News analysis |

In the Netherlands, the citizens’ initiative to achieve a nicotine-free generation has collected more than 40,000 signatures and has been declared admissible by the House of Representatives ...

EU Commission revision of smoke-free recommendation coming soon…probably

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 11th July 2024 || Blogs , News analysis |

Previous delays and European health commissioner describing the work as “particularly challenging” could indicate that the European Commission’s proposal for revising its smoke-free environment recommendation is at risk of further postponement ...

Potential impact of UK, French elections on the tobacco alternatives industry

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 9th July 2024 || News analysis |

The outcomes of the recent general elections in the UK and France could significantly affect the future of the tobacco alternatives industry in both countries ...

Courts could overrule US FDA decisions after Chevron deference overturned

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 3rd July 2024 || News analysis |

The US Supreme Court has overturned the Chevron doctrine, which held that courts should defer to the interpretations of expert federal agencies regarding ambiguous laws the agencies are required to implement ...

Debate resulting in call for EU flavour ban held 2 days before EC released survey data

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 26th June 2024 || News analysis |

Last week, 12 EU health ministers backed a paper calling on the European Commission to propose new legislation, which could include banning flavoured vapes and limiting nicotine content ...

US FDA under fire from health advocates in first approval of menthol vape products

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 25th June 2024 || News analysis |

Public health advocates expressed disappointment after a decision by the US FDA to authorise the sale of several menthol vaping products made by Njoy, including two menthol disposable e-cigarettes ...

FDA and DOJ to launch multi-agency task force to combat illegal sale of e-cigs in US

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 17th June 2024 || News analysis |

Federal health regulators and law enforcement officials will be working more closely to crack down on the sale of illegal e-cigarettes in the US, including disposable vape products ...

What is the future of nicotine products among a right-leaning EU Parliament?

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 13th June 2024 || Blogs , News analysis |

The result of the latest European Union elections is a clear twist to the right, signalling a potential shift towards a more business-friendly and deregulated environment for the vaping and heated tobacco industries ...

US FDA reverses ban on Juul products, opening door to possible authorisation

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 7th June 2024 || News analysis |

Juul Labs could start marketing its products in the US again, two years after they were taken off the market, as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has rescinded its marketing denial orders ...

US FDA penalises retailers in a continued push to remove unauthorised e-cigs

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 4th June 2024 || News analysis |

The US Food and Drug Administration is seeking civil money penalties of $20,678 from ten retailers for selling Elf Bar e-cigarettes after previously issuing warning letters to them for sales of unauthorised products ...

Latin America: regulatory news round-up

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 3rd June 2024 || News analysis |

Developments in the alternatives category in some Latin American countries may feed new hopes for legality and regulation. However, the majority keep heading towards stringent regulations or prohibitions ...

UK smoking ban may not be washed up as Labour likely to refloat its own form of bill

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 29th May 2024 || News analysis |

UK prime minister Rishi Sunak’s smoking ban bill is likely to be scrapped after it was not mentioned in the final business in the House of Commons last week, following Sunak’s call for a snap general election on...

Compromise is key for the future of novel products and harm reduction in Europe

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 16th May 2024 || Blogs , News analysis |

The next European Parliament may feature a new mix of members who are likely to change Europe’s conservative stance on novel products and include harm-reduction strategies as part of the debate ...

Imperial Brands’ half-yearly performance bolstered by product launches in Europe

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 15th May 2024 || News analysis |

Imperial Brands delivered a solid performance for the first half of the year ended 31st March 2024, boosted by scaling up its existing footprint and stepping up innovation across all next-generation product categories ...

EU elections may shift policy focus onto harm reduction, says tobacco group rep

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 15th May 2024 || News analysis |

With EU elections looming, tobacco harm-reduction issues could play an important role and contribute to potential shifts in policy focus, despite the varying political stances across parties, says Frank Henkler-Stephani ...

Yet another US menthol ban delay – is it just playing politics in an election year?

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 9th May 2024 || Blogs , News analysis |

The US government has once again dropped its plans to issue an immediate ban on menthol cigarettes, despite efforts from numerous civil rights organisations and medical associations urging for a ban to protect targeted communities ...

Retail sector wants to play bigger role in European policy on tobacco alternatives

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 3rd May 2024 || News analysis |

The European Confederation of Tobacco Retailers (CEDT) has called for greater involvement of the retail sector when EU lawmakers formulate policies on tobacco alternatives and nicotine products ...

Balancing between adult harm reduction and youth addiction – the debate goes on

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 2nd May 2024 || Blogs , News analysis |

The debate over the approach healthcare providers should take when it comes to suggesting alternative products to help adult patients quit smoking has been ongoing for quite some time, but it’s still controversial ...

Altria ‘on track to deliver’ for the year with promising Q1 momentum from Njoy

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 26th April 2024 || News analysis |

Altria reported its first-quarter earnings with encouraging results from e-cigarette manufacturer Njoy, which it says is showing early momentum since its aquisition last year ...

Harm-reduction strategies are part of the debate in European Parliament elections

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 23rd April 2024 || News analysis |

The future of tobacco alternatives will be a significant focus of regulatory attention in the European Union, as the 720 members of the next European Parliament will be elected in June ...

Will the next European Parliament take a milder approach to tobacco alternatives?

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 15th April 2024 || News analysis |

Around 370m Europeans will be called to the polls in June to elect the 720 members of the next European Parliament. The outcome could reshape the narrative around harm-reduction strategies ...

UK publishes draft disposables ban, and introduces generational smoking ban bill

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 26th March 2024 || News analysis |

The UK government has published a draft proposal to ban nicotine-containing and nicotine-free disposable vaping products starting from 1st April 2025, though pods will continue to be legal ...

UK chancellor announces e-liquid tax in bid to price vaping out of reach of youth

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 6th March 2024 || News analysis |

E-liquids in the UK are closer to facing specific taxes for the first time, in a move aimed at reducing the rates of vaping among young people and non-smokers ...

English harm perception of e-cigs has worsened considerably over past decade

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 4th March 2024 || News analysis |

Harm perception of vaping products has worsened substantially over the last decade in England, with most adult smokers now believing e-cigarettes to be as harmful as traditional cigarettes ...

BAT reports new categories thriving with Vuse as global leader in vapour segment

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 9th February 2024 || News analysis |

British American Tobacco (BAT) saw its new category products achieve profitability two years ahead of schedule driven by the global performance of its Vuse e-cigarette brand ...

UK’s plan to ban disposables aims to stem ‘growing stream of hard-to-recycle waste’

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 7th February 2024 || News analysis |

The UK government’s plan to ban the sale of disposable vapes will drop the number of hard-to-recycle devices that end up littered, environment secretary Steve Barclay said ...

PMI and BAT come to terms, settle patent disputes on alternative tobacco products

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 6th February 2024 || News analysis |

Philip Morris International and British American Tobacco have agreed to resolve all patent infringement litigation between them related to their alternative tobacco products ...

Altria reports progress with Njoy and rapid expansion of in-store distribution

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 2nd February 2024 || News analysis |

During the presentation of its financial results for the year and the fourth quarter, Altria said it will look to support expansion plans behind its $2.75bn acquisition of the Njoy e-cigarette brand in the new year ...

Environmental management round-up: new approaches across the globe

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 31st January 2024 || News analysis |

Regulators continue to increase restrictions in an attempt to minimise the environmental impact of vaping. ECigIntelligence looks at how different countries are trying to tackle the same issues ...

UK government’s plan to ban disposables: a ‘straightforward’ fix for youth vaping?

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 29th January 2024 || News analysis |

British prime minister Rishi Sunak has announced plans to ban the sale of disposable vape products in a move the government says will tackle the rise in youth vaping ...

Chinese manufacturer appeals MDO amid criticism of US FDA’s ‘prohibition mania’

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 26th January 2024 || News analysis |

China-based Shenzhen IVPS Technology, parent to the Smok vaping device brand, has appealed the US FDA's marketing denial order (MDO) for six Smok-branded e-cigarette kits and parts ...

US menthol ban may boost e-cig sales but tobacco sector likely to cause more delays

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 23rd January 2024 || News analysis |

A ban on menthol-flavoured cigarettes should be good news for companies involved in non-combustibles, but likely delays from tobacco company legal challenges make its potential timeline uncertain ...

US FDA may set precedent with first MDO of vape hardware containing no e-liquid

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 18th January 2024 || News analysis |

For the first time ever, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has rejected a premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) for a standalone piece of vaping hardware that contains no e-liquid ...

Is inactivity in the vape industry to blame for the increase in disposable bans?

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 10th January 2024 || Blogs , News analysis |

The vaping industry could look at increased efforts to crack down on disposable e-cigarettes as its own failure to provide more viable solutions that could have curtailed countries around the globe taking legal actions ...

US FDA and customs seize 1.4m illegal Chinese e-cig products worth over $18m

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 19th December 2023 || News analysis |

In shipments from China arriving at Los Angeles International Airport, the joint operation found various brands of disposable e-cig products intended for distribution on the US market that did not have authorisation to be sold ...

Outcry among health groups as review of US menthol cigarette ban pushed to 2024

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 15th December 2023 || News analysis |

The Biden administration will take more time to review the US FDA’s proposed rule to ban the sale of menthol cigarettes, which is to be delayed until at least 2024, raising concerns among public health groups ...

Is taxing e-cigarette products the right way to reduce youth vaping in the UK?

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 14th December 2023 || Blogs |

A new levy to discourage children from vaping in the UK is likely to be introduced in the next year, but it is still uncertain exactly how the government intends to tax vape products ...

UK government could consider vape tax hike in wake of two-month consultation

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo || 12th December 2023 || News analysis |

The UK government could consider a tax increase on vaping in plans likely to be released by the second quarter of 2024, according to insiders ...