Navigating the US FDA’s PMTA maze: insights from the Juul and Vuse MGOs

Written by Freddie Dawson || 8th August 2025 || News analysis |

The recent marketing granted orders the US Food and Drug Administration issued for Juul and, earlier, for Vuse Alto show there are multiple ways to get through the premarket tobacco product application pathway ...

WHO to take aim at ‘tobacco industry’s narrative on “harm reduction”’ at COP11

Written by Freddie Dawson || 7th August 2025 || News analysis |

Harm reduction as a concept is squarely in the sights of the World Health Organization’s (WHO)’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) at its upcoming 11th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP11) ...

Litigation props up US OSH as public health experts debate what lies ahead

Written by Freddie Dawson || 25th July 2025 || News analysis |

Talk of the US Office on Smoking and Health’s demise may have been premature, as its employee dismissals have been held up by lawsuits. But what would a post-OSH world look like? ...

Calls to regulate nicotine pouches amid fears of use by UK and Irish youth vapers

Written by Freddie Dawson || 21st July 2025 || News analysis |

Since the 1st July ban on disposable vapes in the UK, retail enforcement there say nicotine pouch sales are replacing them, and concerns have cropped up again for youth uptake in the UK and Ireland ...

An overview of enforcement actions: a new ECigIntelligence tracker

Written by Freddie Dawson || 15th July 2025 || News analysis |

ECigIntelligence is introducing a new enforcement tracker that will collate online accounts of regulator action on illicit e-cigarettes and other alternative nicotine products ...

Do disposable vapes really release more harmful components than cigarettes do?

Written by Freddie Dawson || 14th July 2025 || News analysis |

Public health researchers have questioned aspects of a new study that says some disposable e-cigarettes release more harmful components than even conventional cigarettes ...

US Supreme Court decides in favour of vape retailers on jurisdiction and venue

Written by Freddie Dawson || 9th July 2025 || News analysis |

The US Supreme Court has again turned to the issue of proper venue for lawsuits, which has been brought to a head by e-cig companies challenging US Food and Drug Administration decisions on product authorisations ...

Trump’s second term so far: executive orders and tariffs on US vape imports

Written by Freddie Dawson || 3rd July 2025 || News analysis |

The first six months of the current administration under US president Donald Trump can be defined by its use of executive orders and imposition of tariffs on goods imported into the US ...

UK disposables ban is in effect, but enforcement so far has been patchy

Written by Freddie Dawson || 1st July 2025 || News analysis |

Enforcement of the ban on single-use e-cigarettes in the UK has been enforced only in certain cases and certain jurisdictions, according to a vaping association in the country ...

How could the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill affect nicotine marketing once it is law?

Written by Freddie Dawson || 30th June 2025 || News analysis |

The UK government anticipates that its upcoming Tobacco and Vapes Bill will eliminate all potential grey areas in tobacco and nicotine advertising and vaping regulations ...

China’s RLX Technology scoops up highly profitable UK vape retailer Totally Wicked

Written by Freddie Dawson || 27th June 2025 || News analysis |

UK vape retailer Totally Wicked appears to have been bought by Chinese vaping company RLX Technology. Companies House records have confirmed that an ultimately Chinese-controlled entity has taken at least a 75% stake ...

E-cigarettes continue to be the primary cause of battery incidents onboard planes

Written by Freddie Dawson || 26th June 2025 || News analysis |

E-cigarettes are responsible for the most adverse lithium-ion battery incidents on aircraft, despite being only the sixth most popular device brought onboard planes, according to a new report ...

PMI and Swedish match compare Zyn pouches to e-cigs for US FDA MRTP status

Written by Freddie Dawson || 24th June 2025 || News analysis |

Philip Morris International (PMI)’s modified risk tobacco product (MRTP) submission status for Zyn nicotine pouches has raised a few interesting comparisons with e-cigs and other existing reduced-risk products ...

Another harm-reduction group closes, leaving an opening for misinformation

Written by Freddie Dawson || 17th June 2025 || Blogs , News analysis |

Recently, three harm-reduction advocacy organisations have stopped operating, and though they gave different reasons for closing, they have more in common than the explanations might suggest ...

How the populist backlash seen in recent elections may impact vaping regulations

Written by Freddie Dawson || 16th June 2025 || News analysis |

Last November, the feeling was that the election of US president Donald Trump indicated a general shift to the right in global politics, but the results did not quite pan out that way ...

Ban on disposables in Switzerland very likely – but not necessarily inevitable

Written by Freddie Dawson || 13th June 2025 || News analysis |

Recent news of legislative action on disposable vaping products in Switzerland suggested a ban was entering into force very soon, but the Swiss legislature in fact only passed a motion to take action ...

Could unintended consequences of Dutch flavour ban become main consequences?

Written by Freddie Dawson || 23rd May 2025 || News analysis |

Why has the Netherlands taken such a harsh, prohibitionist stance on nicotine when it has historically been liberal in its approach to other so-called vice products? ...

UK and Dutch data suggests flavour bans could alter vaping, not trigger smoking

Written by Freddie Dawson || 22nd May 2025 || News analysis |

Two surveys suggest flavour bans are the biggest potential changer of current vaper behaviour but that their implementation would not necessarily drive current vapers back to smoking ...

Is the new US surgeon general nominee more open to vaping as harm reduction?

Written by Freddie Dawson || 20th May 2025 || News analysis |

New US surgeon general nominee Casey Means has not publicly laid out any position on vaping, nicotine or smoking cessation, but some of her public comments suggest she may be amenable to reduced-harm products ...

WHO calls for flavour bans and further restrictions on all novel nicotine products

Written by Freddie Dawson || 16th May 2025 || News analysis |

All flavours should be banned for nicotine products, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which also wants increased regulation of advertising, limits on hardware design, and plain packaging requirements being implemented across the board ...

UK ASA ruling finds vape firms liable for third-party ads run without their consent

Written by Freddie Dawson || 15th May 2025 || News analysis |

Vaping companies could be held responsible for ads that appear on third-party sites without their knowledge, according to the latest vaping-related rulings from the UK Advertising Standards Authority ...

Temporary US-China tariff relief benefits vaping sector but uncertainty still looms

Written by Freddie Dawson || 15th May 2025 || News analysis |

Goods imported from China to the US will see a 115% reduction in tariffs as of 14th May, but the abrupt, temporary change offers no real certainty for long-term business planning ...

Tracing the history of US tariffs on e-cig product imports from China: a timeline

Written by Freddie Dawson || 14th May 2025 || News analysis |

This timeline of tariffs will be updated as further changes are made to the US tariff policy on Chinese imports or as new documents are added to the US Federal Register ...

US-based think tank proposes ways to help move along the FDA PMTA process

Written by Freddie Dawson || 12th May 2025 || News analysis |

The Tax Foundation has published a series of potential reforms it believes the US Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products could realistically implement to address the country’s vaping industry ...

Debates and concerns continue ahead of UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill becoming law

Written by Freddie Dawson || 2nd May 2025 || News analysis |

The UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill has been debated in the House of Lords (upper house of Parliament) and is now just a few steps away from becoming law ...

US FDA’s vagueness helps it win Supreme Court backing in Triton/Vapetasia case

Written by Freddie Dawson || 15th April 2025 || News analysis |

Extreme vagueness has got the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) off the hook in the latest major challenge on its handling of premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) ...

Rumours of the death of the US Office on Smoking and Health just might be true

Written by Freddie Dawson || 14th April 2025 || News analysis |

The US Centers for Disease Control’s Office on Smoking and Health appears to be one of the casualties of job cuts throughout the Department of Health and Human Services ...

US HHS staff reductions could disrupt the PMTA process and wider e-cig industry

Written by Freddie Dawson || 9th April 2025 || News analysis |

As the promised axe has fallen on the workforce at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products (CTP), what comes next for the agencies and the industry? ...

How Trump’s tariffs could have a negative impact on US public health

Written by Freddie Dawson || 7th April 2025 || News analysis |

US president Donald Trump’s tariffs could actively harm public health – but not in a way that might be expected ...

How tariffs on US imported goods could affect the worldwide e-cigarette industry

Written by Freddie Dawson || 21st March 2025 || News analysis |

The imposition of tariffs on goods entering the US could have unintended knock-on effects elsewhere in the world, the most obvious being a general increase to prices, even in places not involved in current tariff wars ...

US FDA tells success story of public health campaign preventing youth e-cig uptake

Written by Freddie Dawson || 20th March 2025 || Blogs , News analysis |

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently highlighted the success of its Real Cost public health campaign in preventing youth e-cigarette uptake with the first study to consider the campaign’s impact on e-cigs specifically ...

UK study equating cardiovascular impact of vaping and smoking attracts criticism

Written by Freddie Dawson || 17th March 2025 || News analysis |

A preliminary report on a study purporting to show similar adverse cardiovascular consequences from vaping and smoking has faced criticism from harm-reduction experts ...

US FDA nominee Makary’s impact on vaping depends on general outlook

Written by Freddie Dawson || 13th March 2025 || News analysis |

Martin Makary faces a vote before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee today, 13th March. If approved, he takes a step closer to becoming head of the US FDA ...

New York lawsuit sales figures show size of bite vape firms take from the Big Apple

Written by Freddie Dawson || 13th March 2025 || News analysis |

Figures published as part of New York state’s lawsuit against flavoured e-cigarette companies show just how big the market has been for vaping firms ...

New tariffs on Chinese imports likely to hike prices, impacting US vape industry

Written by Freddie Dawson || 7th March 2025 || News analysis |

Further price increases will result from the latest round of tariffs imposed by US president Donald Trump on China – though downstream impact from tariffs on North American trading partners has again been delayed ...

New York’s vape company case goes above and beyond what the state has to prove

Written by Freddie Dawson || 6th March 2025 || Blogs , News analysis |

The state of New York appears to have plenty of evidence against the vaping-related companies it has targeted in its lawsuit, so why would it include questionable accusations? ...

New York state takes e-cig companies to court over illegal sales of flavoured vapes

Written by Freddie Dawson || 5th March 2025 || News analysis |

New York prosecutors have launched what they are calling a “landmark” case against the illegal sale of flavoured vaping products in the US state ...

Will about-turns in US federal employee saga mean less red tape or less efficiency?

Written by Freddie Dawson || 28th February 2025 || News analysis |

US HSS decision-makers have been shuttling staff between employment and dismissal, much like the Grand Old Duke of York in a nursery rhyme marches troops up and down a hill ...

Will Trump favour Big Tobacco over the US vaping industry in his second term?

Written by Freddie Dawson || 13th February 2025 || News analysis |

Predictions on what president Donald Trump will do have always been difficult. But some indicators point to a second go-around of the Trump administration providing a degree more stability and predictability ...

Import tariffs on China unlikely to boost a US vape sector held back by FDA red tape

Written by Freddie Dawson || 7th February 2025 || News analysis |

Tariffs on Chinese imports will not create any impetus for domestic production in the vaping sector, according to the American Vapor Manufacturers Association (AVM) ...

Science overshadowed by pouch use in Kennedy US health secretary hearings

Written by Freddie Dawson || 4th February 2025 || News analysis |

A second Health and Human Services secretary nomination hearing for Robert F Kennedy Jr. devolved into arguments over “science”, overshadowed by news of his alleged use of a nicotine pouch during his first hearing ...

US health secretary hearings: what could happen to vape industry under Kennedy

Written by Freddie Dawson || 31st January 2025 || News analysis |

The first fiery hearing for the confirmation of Robert F Kennedy Jr. as US secretary of health and human services went on with plenty of fireworks but little of substance for the nicotine alternatives industry ...

US Supreme Court case reveals key point: the FDA believes vaping could save lives

Written by Freddie Dawson || 29th January 2025 || News analysis |

The US FDA vs RJ Reynolds case at the Supreme Court brought up an important point: the FDA believes vaping could save lives, as it represents a less risky product on a continuum of risk ...

Trump’s executive orders may impact the e-cigarette sector in the US and abroad

Written by Freddie Dawson || 23rd January 2025 || News analysis |

Nicotine alternatives have gone unmentioned through the initial flurry of actions taken after the inauguration of US president Donald Trump, but several executive orders and proposals will have an impact on the sector ...

Does the plan to cap nicotine in cigarettes reveal cracks in US public health policy?

Written by Freddie Dawson || 23rd January 2025 || Blogs , News analysis |

In something of a disconnect in US public health policy, the proposal for a rule to limit the nicotine content for most combustible tobacco products represents a major change from years of prior decisions ...

US FDA nicotine cap proposal: a plus for health and alternative nicotine products

Written by Freddie Dawson || 21st January 2025 || News analysis |

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expects its new proposal for a very low nicotine cap on conventional cigarettes to be a net positive for alternative nicotine products ...

What to expect in e-cigs in 2025: is this the end for flavours and disposables?

Written by Freddie Dawson || 10th January 2025 || News analysis |

The year 2025 is shaping up to be a significant one for vaping. ECigIntelligence predicts several long-anticipated policy developments will start to emerge as regulators attempt to catch up to the rapidly evolving vaping market ...

How did we do? ECigIntelligence’s predictions for 2024 under review

Written by Freddie Dawson || 31st December 2024 || News analysis |

We look back at predictions ECigIntelligence published at the start of 2024 to see how well we did in calling events that would occur in the e-cigarette sector throughout the year ...

Bans and taxes on disposables took centre stage in 2024, along with politics at play

Written by Freddie Dawson || 19th December 2024 || News analysis |

“Disposables” was once again the word of the year in vaping – more specifically for 2024, “a ban on disposables” was the phrase of the year in the sector, with many governments passing prohibition laws in an effort...

Minor Trump picks could have major impact on future of US nicotine industry

Written by Freddie Dawson || 16th December 2024 || News analysis |

Several minor nominations by US president-elect Donald Trump could have a major impact on the future of nicotine alternatives in the country ...