Author: Staff Writer

Lorillard is due to host a webcast of its Investor Day presentation to the investment community in New York City on June 27.

The webcast, which will begin at 09.00 hours Eastern Time, will include presentations by Murray S. Kessler, chairman, president and CEO, David H. Taylor, CFO and executive vice president, finance and planning, and other members of Lorillard’s senior management team. The presentations are scheduled to end at 12.30 hours.

The webcast will be available under the Investor Relations section of Lorillard’s website at www.lorillard.com, and a replay will be available in its entirety through July 27.

As the proposed revision of the EU’s Tobacco Products Directive is now being discussed in the European Parliament, the UK-based electronic cigarette manufacturer, Totally Wicked Ltd, is sending an electronic cigarette to all 754 MEPs.

‘Accompanying the e-cigarette will be a briefing document that simply and factually explains why e-cigarettes do not belong in the TPD,’ the company said in a press note issued through PRNewswire.

‘A covering letter asks MEPs to examine the e-cigarette in detail and poses the following question: “What do you do with a product that mimics smoking, but is not a cigarette, that stops people smoking, but is not a medicine?”.

‘Totally Wicked is concerned that at present, EU policy makers believe that e-cigarettes should only be placed on the market if they are authorised pursuant to Directive 2001/83/EC (the Medicinal Products Directive).

‘By wishing to regulate e-cigarettes as a medicinal product, and by banning flavours, Totally Wicked believe the Commission and their supporters in Parliament are effectively banning e-cigarettes, a view that is supported by the European Parliament’s own Legal Affairs Committee.’

“The e-cigarettes we have chosen to send to MEPs look nothing like a conventional tobacco cigarette,” said Fraser Cropper, business development director at Totally Wicked. “Contrary to what many MEPs think, the vast majority of e-cigarettes sold throughout the EU look nothing like cigarettes.

“We hope to make it clear to MEPs that e-cigarettes are not a medicinal product and that users do not see themselves as ill or in treatment.

“MEPs have an incredible opportunity to craft regulation that reflects the reality of e-cigarettes – they are nicotine-containing consumer products that compete with cigarettes but with many superior characteristics, mainly by virtue of not using combustible tobacco.

“Tobacco cigarettes have been unequivocally proven to contribute to the early mortality of the European population. During this time, our legislators have been unwilling or unable to ban cigarettes, a product that if it came onto the market today, would without question be prohibited.

“Surprisingly, rather than be applauded and encouraged by our elected representatives as the potential panacea to the smoking epidemic, we find Article 18 of the draft TPD, stifling the potential of these products and effectively handing over the product’s concept to the pharmaceutical sector, destroying a safer alternative.”

Japan Tobacco Inc is adding two snus products to its Zerostyle smokeless tobacco line.

‘Zerostyle Snus Regular’ and ”Zerostyle Snus Mint will go on sale at selected retails stores in the city of Osaka from early August.

In a launch press note posted on its website, JT said that while the majority of consumers in Japan enjoyed tobacco in the form of cigarettes, demand was increasing for tobacco products designed to be used in places where ‘consideration needs to be given for those nearby’.

The taste, aroma and portion size of Zerostyle Snus is said to have been developed specifically to meet the preferences of Japanese consumers.

Zerostyle Snus Regular, is said to offer ‘a mild sweetness and roasted flavor’, while Zerostyle Snus Mint is said to offer ‘a brisk flavor that spreads in the mouth’.

Filtrona Filters has launched the BiTech™ filter, a new addition to its AdvantageRange.

The new filter is said to maximize the benefits of both paper and cellulose acetate –  the high filtration efficiency and cost effectiveness of paper with the familiar taste of cellulose acetate – through its ‘unique construction’.

‘As a result, cigarette manufacturers can achieve substantial tow weight savings when compared to using a standard cellulose acetate filter,’ the company said in a press note. ‘In addition, by replacing approximately half the cellulose acetate with a more degradable paper alternative, the BiTech™ presents a potentially more environmentally friendly filter solution.

‘The BiTech™ filter consists of both high quality crimped cellulose acetate and paper combined in a single process. During this process, the cellulose acetate fibres are bonded together with a controlled amount of plasticiser to give the filter a firm structure. The filter is then enclosed in an outer plug wrap which can either be standard or porous depending on ventilation requirements.’

The BiTech™ filter is the latest addition to Filtrona’s AdvantageRange, which includes also Smoothcore, Smoothcore Recess, Infused and Randomly Orientated Acetate (ROA) filters.

The board of directors of Philip Morris International today declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.85 per common share, payable on July 12 to shareholders of record as of June 27.

The ex-dividend date is June 25.

The 2013 meeting of the European Association for Tobacco Research and Experimentation (AERET – Association Européenne pour la Recherche et l’Expérimentation Tabacole) will be held on June 25-27 at the Château des Vigiers, near Bergerac, France.

The meeting will include sessions on tobacco varieties, plant protection, experimental programs, and the reduction of energy consumption during curing.

In addition, on June 26, participants will have the opportunity to visit experimental fields in Bergerac.

The Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP), is due to hold a one-day workshop to obtain public input on ‘topics related to the potential electronic submission of tobacco product applications and other information’.

The workshop will focus on the technical aspects of electronic submissions, including potential standards for content, format, and structure.

According to an FDA press note, the input from the public workshop might ‘assist the Agency in the potential development and implementation of an electronic submission standard for CTP’.

At the same time, the FDA is opening a public docket to receive comments on this topic.

Registration for the workshop is open until June 21; the workshop is due to be held on July 18; and comments directed to the docket have to be received by August 19.

More information is at:

http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=FDA_FRDOC_0001-3973.

White Cloud Electronic Cigarettes, which already claimed the title of the company with the most electronic cigarette flavors, has added another flavor to its portfolio: Atlantic Cut, according to a press note issued through PRNewswire.

The new flavor, which was inspired by the taste of flue-cured tobacco, is said to have subtle hints of caramel, apple, Canadian rye whiskey and maple.

Atlantic Cut is offered in nicotine strengths designated Light, Full, Xtra and XXtra.

“There are a large number of tobacco cigarettes on the market and each blend has its own distinct flavor,” said Michael Murray, managing director of White Cloud Cigarettes.

“Our Regular, Apache and Bora Bora tobacco flavors have all been very popular with our customers and all have their own distinct flavor as well.

“Atlantic Cut is our boldest, most complex flavor to date.

“Vapors will enjoy the rich, full-flavor.”

KT&G said on Monday that it had launched what it claims to be the world’s first ultra-slim cigarette with a filter containing a flavor capsule, according to a story in The Korea Herald.

‘Esse Change’ is a version of the company’s highly-successful ultra-slim cigarette, Esse, which has proved especially popular among young adult smokers.

The taste of Esse Change changes from mild to ‘apple mint-fresh’ after the smoker pops the capsule.

The new product delivers 1 mg of tar and 0.1 mg of nicotine, and is priced at WON2,500 per pack.

Developing countries face particular barriers to participating in the activities of the Conference of the Parties to the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, according to the conclusions of a study recently posted on the Tobacco Control website.

And the engagement of developing countries in global tobacco control is likely to diminish in the absence of specific measures to support their effective participation, the study found.

The study, by researches at the University of Edinburgh, UK, was first published online on November 14.

It is available as an open access paper at http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/early/2013/06/09/tobaccocontrol-2012-050849.full.