Author: Staff Writer

  • Geekvape Technology Passes TÜV Test

    Geekvape Technology Passes TÜV Test

    Photo: blende11.photo

    Shenzhen Geekvape Technology Co.’s Safe Fast Charge technology has passed the rigorous Technischer Überwachungsverein (TÜV) test, the company announced in press note.

    Products equipped with the technology guarantee safe rapid charging via USB-C in 15 minutes and an ultra-long battery life, according to Geekvape. Equipped with two connected batteries in series, Geekvape’s Safe Fast Charge technology achieved 96.43 percent charging current and battery capacity after more than 300 rounds of TÜV charging and discharging tests—outperforming the international standard of 80 percent. The battery component adopts multi-electrode charging and discharging technology, which well balances the temperature and charging efficiency of the batteries and achieves safe fast charge.

    “At Geekvape, we adhere only to the most stringent global safety standards. Our Safe Fast Charge technology has been strictly tested by leading independent parties, including the TÜV and FCC. As a result, we can confidently say we have achieved the world’s first fast-charging e-cigarette technology that is truly safe and durable,” said Siner Kong, the product manager of Geekvape.

    With a number of different battery brands on the market, the safety, quality and price of each e-cigarette product can vary dramatically. When manufacturers purchase low-cost batteries that have not been vigorously checked and certified, this may lead to safety hazards, particularly when using high-current fast charging technologies.

    To ensure the highest level of protection for its consumers, Geekvape only uses its own built-in batteries in its e-cigarette products. Each Geekvape battery cell undergoes tens of thousands of rounds of rigorous tests, including squeezing, short-circuiting, dropping, overshooting, exposure to high temperature and vibration. The cell is then strictly checked from the manufacturer’s side, resulting in a truly safe and revolutionary fast charging experience.

    In addition to TÜV tests, Geekvape’s Safe Fast Charge technology has passed IEC61960 and ICE62133 global battery safety regulation standards.

  • Smokers Unaware of Better Alternatives

    Smokers Unaware of Better Alternatives

    Photo: kues1

    Misinformation threatens progress toward a smoke-free future, reveals a new international survey released by Philip Morris International.

    The survey—fielded among nearly 30,000 adults in 26 countries by independent research firm Povaddo and commissioned by PMI—reveals that many adult smokers remain unaware that better alternatives to cigarettes exist, are unable to access them or are confused by false or misleading information that prevents them from making an informed choice.

    Nearly eight in 10 respondents (79 percent) agree that adult smokers who would otherwise continue using cigarettes should have access to and accurate information about smoke-free alternatives. This view is shared by 87 percent of current adult smokers.

    “People expect public health bodies and regulators to reach a scientific consensus around innovative smoke-free alternatives and provide adults who smoke with evidence-based information about these products,” said Gregoire Verdeaux, senior vice president of external affairs at PMI, in a statement. “Misinformation about smoke-free alternatives—often based on opinion—is a persistent issue that is having real-world consequences.”

    Misinformation about smoke-free alternatives—often based on opinion—is a persistent issue that is having real-world consequences.

    Gregoire Verdeaux, senior vice president of external affairs, PMI

    The survey also shows the extent of public confusion surrounding smoke-free products. Nearly half the adults surveyed wrongly believe that e-cigarettes and heated-tobacco products are more harmful than or equally harmful as cigarettes (45 percent and 46 percent, respectively, for each product category). Asked why they have not considered switching to a better alternative, around a third of smokers surveyed cited lack of information about how these products differ from cigarettes (33 percent), uncertainty about the science (35 percent) or having easier access to cigarettes (32 percent).

    According to PMI, the survey findings also demonstrate how accurate information about better alternatives can help smokers to move away from cigarettes. The vast majority (91 percent) of adult smokers who have switched to a better alternative and stopped smoking confirmed that having accurate information about how these products differ from cigarettes was an important factor in their decision. Of adults who smoke, 63 percent would be more likely to switch to a better alternative (such as e-cigarettes or heated-tobacco products) if they had clarity on how these products differ from cigarettes and the science behind them.

    The survey also explores public attitudes toward scientific studies conducted by manufacturers of smoke-free products. A majority of adults surveyed (82 percent) believe their governments have a responsibility to objectively review and consider scientific evidence about smoke-free alternative products coming from manufacturers such as PMI. Additionally, nearly three quarters (72 percent) support tobacco companies working with governments, regulators and public health experts to ensure that smokers have access to and accurate information about smoke-free alternatives.

  • Study: Graphic Warnings Could Have Prevented Many U.S. Deaths

    Study: Graphic Warnings Could Have Prevented Many U.S. Deaths

    Image: FDA

    Warning labels with graphic depictions of the negative health consequences of smoking could have averted thousands of smoking-related deaths if approved as originally planned in 2012, according to a new analysis by University of Michigan (U-M) researchers and colleagues from the Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling network (CISNET) Lung Group.

    If the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires tobacco companies to include the graphic warning labels on cigarette packages in October 2022, as it’s expected to do, between 275,000 and 794,000 smoking-attributable deaths could be averted by 2100, and between 4 million to 11.6 million life-years could be gained during that period.

    While the FDA had planned to implement the graphic warning labels nine years ago, it has been entangled in litigation with the tobacco industry over the issue. The rules to add the labels include textual warnings and color graphics with photorealistic images depicting the negative health consequences of cigarette smoking, such as warnings that smoking can cause erectile dysfunction or head and neck cancer and can lead to COPD.

    “Industry litigation and delays to implementing tobacco regulations have high costs to public health,” said Rafael Meza, professor of epidemiology and global public health at U-M’s School of Public Health and senior author of the study published in JAMA Health Forum. “This research shows that we must move forward with implementation to maximize the benefits of adding graphic health warnings to cigarette’s packaging.”

    For their study, researchers simulated smoking and mortality outcomes associated with the health warnings using the CISNET Smoking History Generator Population Model and previously published research of the expected impacts of graphic health warnings on smoking prevalence and cessation. The assumptions in the model are based in part on what has been seen in other countries like Canada and Australia that have already rolled out these graphic warnings.

    All CISNET lung cancer models are based on inputs from the Smoking History Generator, which simulates detailed individual-level life and smoking histories: birth, probabilities of smoking initiation, smoking cessation and death. Because graphic health warnings have never been implemented in the United States, researchers could not perform external validation of the policy scenarios.

    The researchers acknowledge that while literature on graphic health warnings demonstrates their public health benefit, uncertainty remains about the true magnitude of their effect on smoking behavior, especially with regard to smoking initiation.

    Researchers first modeled a baseline scenario with the current status quo and then calculated smoking attributable deaths under different graphic health warnings scenarios. The team varied the time of implementation of the warnings and their impact on smoking initiation and cessation to more accurately capture the uncertainty in the actual effects that health warnings could have on smoking behaviors and outcomes.

    In the baseline scenario, smoking prevalence is projected to decline from 20 percent in 2012 to 13.6 percent in 2022 and 4.6 percent in 2100. In the scenarios with graphic health warnings implemented in 2022, the model estimated that smoking prevalence would decrease from 13.6 percent in 2022 to between 4 percent and 4.4 percent in 2100.

    If the warnings had been implemented in 2012, researchers estimate about 365,000 to 1,060,000 deaths might have been prevented, and 5.7 million to 16.6 million life-years could have been gained, roughly 40 percent higher. The upcoming policy and its simulated impacts on population health can be explored in more detail online through the Tobacco Control Policy Tool.

    “This shows the health costs of delaying implementation of this regulation by 10 years due to industry litigation and procedural delays,” said Meza, who is also the principal investigator of the CISNET Lung Cancer Working Group and the Center for the Assessment of Tobacco Regulations.

    More than 120 countries have required graphic health warnings on cigarette packs and saved lives by doing so, said the study’s first author, Jamie Tam, an assistant professor at the Yale School of Public Health.

    “The U.S. has been lagging behind the rest of the world when it comes to this issue, so we are long overdue,” she said.

    In addition to Meza and Tam, authors include Jihyoun Jeon of the Department of Epidemiology at U-M’s School of Public Health; Theodore Holford of Yale University School of Public Health; James Thrasher of the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health; David Hammond of the University of Waterloo, Canada; and David Levy of the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University Medical Center.

  • More Marketing Denial Orders From FDA

    More Marketing Denial Orders From FDA

    Photo: Jhvephotos | Dreamstime.com

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued additional marketing denial orders (MDOs) for electronic nicotine-delivery system (ENDS) products.

    As of Sept. 23, the agency has issued 323 MDOs accounting for more than 1,167,000 flavored ENDS.

    The list of MDOs is available here.

    The FDA issued the first MDOs in August.

    Products subject to an MDO for a premarket application may not be introduced or delivered for introduction into interstate commerce. If the product is already on the market, the product must be removed from the market or risk enforcement.

    Companies receiving these MDOs may have submitted premarket applications for other products (such as ENDS devices, tobacco-flavored ENDS or menthol-flavored ENDS), and those products, if still pending, remain under review at FDA.

  • Iro Schunke Reelected President SindiTabaco

    Iro Schunke Reelected President SindiTabaco

    Iro Schunke (Photo: Taco Tuinstra)

    Iro Schunke has been reelected as the president of Brazil’s Interstate Tobacco Industry Union, SindiTabaco. The election took place in early September at the organization’s head office in Santa Cruz do Sul.

    Schunke, who has presided over SindiTabaco since 2006, intends to continue the organization’s work in defense of the tobacco supply chain during his upcoming tenure. “We consider all matters of common interest to our associate members, with an eye on strengthening the supply chain as a whole,” said Schunke in a statement. “Our major goals are the regulatory matters, social and environmental responsibility and visibility of the sector.”

    Within this context, SindiTabaco has been keeping a close watch on all matters relating to the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention for Tobacco Control and pioneered programs in the social and environmental areas. Among other initiatives, the organization has initiated programs to combat deforestation and collect empty pesticide containers. Meanwhile, the Growing Up Right Institute has worked diligently to eradicate child labor.

    Furthermore, SindiTabaco encourages rural diversification through such initiatives as the corn, bean and pastureland after tobacco harvest program. “Our work is totally transparent, as this is the model that we are trying to strengthen,” said Schunke. We will continue guiding our activities in areas that impact upon the life of those who earn a livelihood from this agribusiness segment.”

    Besides Schunke, the board of directors is composed of the following members: Edenir Gassen, secretariat vice president; Flavio Marques Goulart, finance vice president; Valmor Thesing, industrial affairs vice president; Roberto Naue, fiscal affairs vice president; Paulo Cezar Favero, tobacco production and quality vice president; and Guatimozin de Oliveira Santos Filho, vice president of environmental management and social responsibility.

    The new board of directors will take office on Oct. 22.

  • RELX Announces Saudi Distribution Partnership

    RELX Announces Saudi Distribution Partnership

    Photo: viperagp

    RELX International has announced a partnership with SAF Trading Agencies for the exclusive distribution of RELX products throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

    “This is an incredibly important partnership for RELX International, and we’re thrilled to be working with SAF Trading Agencies, who will leverage their extensive KSA distribution network to make the brand widely available nationwide for our adult consumers,” said Fouad Barakat, general manager for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Algeria at RELX, in a statement.

    “Our aim is to drive awareness and sales, as well as our corporate messaging to our target audience, adult smokers who would otherwise continue smoking, across the region.”

    Since its establishment in the late 1980s, SAF Trading Agencies has grown into an extensive group of companies covering a diversified range of activities and markets, including pharmaceuticals, e-cigarettes and food production.

    According to RELX, the Middle East and North Africa region is one of the vapor business’ fastest growing markets, expanding at a rate just short of 10 percent until 2024.

  • John Miller Retires as President/CEO Swisher

    John Miller Retires as President/CEO Swisher

    John Miller (Photo: Swisher)
    Neil Kiely

    Swisher has announced the retirement of John Miller from his position as chief executive officer and president of Swisher. Neil Kiely, a member of the board of directors, has assumed the role of president of Swisher.

    “On behalf of the board of directors and Swisher’s employees, I would like to thank John for the work he has done for the company and our customers for the past nine years and wish him the best going forward,” said William Ziegler, chairman of Swisher’s board of directors.

    “As we look to the future, we have high confidence that Neil’s experience with companywide transformation will help Swisher accelerate its growth under his leadership.”

    Kiely most recently served as the chief executive officer and vice chairperson of the board of directors for Birra Peroni and was previously chief transformation officer at MillerCoors.

  • Commission Urges New Ideas to Fight Smoking

    Commission Urges New Ideas to Fight Smoking

    New technologies that deliver nicotine without combustion present a substantial opportunity to end the death and disease associated with tobacco use, especially in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), according to the International Commission to Reignite the Fight Against Smoking.

    In a new report, the commission offers facts, analysis and recommendations aimed at reinvigorating an effort that has stalled, “mired in an outdated paradigm that has been superseded by new technology, new ideas and new concerns for neglected communities.” The fact that there are still more than 1.1 billion tobacco users worldwide proves that the fight against smoking requires new ideas and ambition, its members note.

    Among other recommendations, the commission calls for risk-proportionate tobacco policies and better access to harm reduction in LMICs (where most smokers are located). It also encourages medical bodies to reestablish the leadership role of doctors in ending smoking and urges tobacco companies to have a clear plan to phase out high-risk combustible products.

    Tobacco harm reduction advocates welcomed the report. “This report thoroughly documents the global health toll of smoking, now and in a likely future,” said Donald Kenkel, Andrew Dickson White professor in the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy and the Department of Economics at Cornell University.

    “But the report also shows that through continuing technological innovation, tobacco harm reduction is an immediate, achievable goal. Evidence-based economic policies and regulations that support tobacco harm reduction offer real hope to help people quit smoking and improve their health.”

    The report was prepared by James K. Glassman, former U.S. undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs; Rosemary Leonard, general practitioner; Kgosi Letlape, president of Africa Medical Association and president of Medical Councils of Africa; Vivan Sharan, Koan Advisory; and Tikki Pangestu, former director of research policy and cooperation at the World Health Organization.

  • Tax Hike Could Make Cigarettes Cheap Option

    Tax Hike Could Make Cigarettes Cheap Option

    Photo: RomanR

    A proposal to raise U.S. federal taxes on tobacco could make cigarettes—the most harmful way to consume nicotine—cheaper than other tobacco products in many states, warns Ulrik Boesen, senior policy analyst in excise taxes of the Tax Foundation.

    The proposal, which would double the tax on cigarettes while taxing every other tobacco and nicotine product at comparable rates, would likely also boost tobacco product smuggling.

    Writing on the Tax Foundation’s website, Boesen says these unintended consequences are due in part to the way other levels of government tax tobacco. While every U.S. state taxes cigarettes by quantity, a majority tax other tobacco products by price. When states tax tobacco products by price, the tax on the product will “pyramid” since the federal tax is levied at the manufacturer level and the state tax is levied at the distribution level.

    “In effect, the state tax base includes the federal tax and becomes a tax on a tax,” explains Boesen.

    Boesen says there are additional reasons not to levy tobacco excise taxes based on price. “For most excise taxes, the base should be the harm or cost-causing element because that best internalizes a negative externality,” he says. “For tobacco products, that is clearly the quantity of tobacco consumed.”

  • ICCPP Launches New Ceramic Core

    ICCPP Launches New Ceramic Core

    Photo: ICCPP

    ICCPP, the parent company of Voopoo, has launched its first ceramic core technology brand, Gene Tree.

    According to ICCPP, the new core addresses shortcomings of existing ceramic core products, which tend to suffer from light taste, sticking powder and burning coils. Such issues, says the company, affect not only the user experience but also pose a threat to consumers’ health.

    Developing the new generation of ceramic core products involved more than 1,000 days of technical explorations and scientific experiments. In addition, it took tens of thousands of hours to choose the best solution from more than 2,000 sets of ceramic core material formulations.

    ICCPP’s research and development team comprises more than 300 people, including more than 40 holding either doctoral degrees or master’s degrees. In addition to solving the problem of ceramic coils’ powder sticking and dropping, ICCPP managed to turn its R&D results into a solution fit for mass production.

    In a blind test among more than 3,000 vapers, participants indicated they favored the taste of Gene Tree over that of competing products.

    According to ICCPP, ceramic cores on the market generally have poor “taste reduction.” To compensate, companies traditionally have increased the amount of nicotine—but this isn’t an option for disposable vapor products sold in countries that limit nicotine concentrations.

    According to ICCPP, 20 mg of nicotine salt in liquid vaporized with Gene Tree can achieve the same result as 30 mg of nicotine salt used in a competing product. Weighing about 0.07 grams, Gene Tree’s volume is also 50 percent smaller than existing ceramic cores.

    ICCPP says the Gene Tree ceramic core is made of environmentally friendly mineral materials.