Author: Marissa Dean

  • Screening ‘Snus Movie’ Opens Dialogue

    Screening ‘Snus Movie’ Opens Dialogue

    Image: Mr. Music

    On Nov. 15, 2023, We Are Innovation hosted the avant-premiere of the documentary How Sweden Quit Smoking at the Royal Society of Arts House in London. In addition to the screening of the documentary, attendees had the opportunity to enjoy an expert panel dialogue, dinner and networking with public health experts, advocates, activists and think-tankers from all over the world.

    Directed by the Polish filmmaker Tomasz Agencki, How Sweden Quit Smoking delves deep into Sweden’s journey toward becoming a smoke-free country. The documentary shines a light on the personal determination, innovation and human creativity that propelled the Swedish people to achieve a milestone unmatched in contemporary times. This film combines the perspectives of scholars, medical doctors, innovators and activists, presenting a diverse range of voices that echo the expressions of artists. Through compelling storytelling, How Sweden Quit Smoking unveils the intricate interplay of science, politics, history and personal responsibility at the heart of this transformative journey.

    “We are incredibly thrilled to bring this important documentary to a wide audience,” said We Are Innovation’s CEO, Federico Fernandez, in a statement. “Sweden’s smoke-free journey beautifully embodies innovation that solves problems and benefits society. By providing smokers safer alternatives, their model is making smoking obsolete and freeing human potential previously hindered by tobacco-related disease and death. We hope the Swedish experience catalyzes similar lifesaving innovations worldwide.”

    Agencki said, “This film gives deserved recognition to the unsung heroes—the unrecognized innovators who take action to make our world healthier. Sweden’s remarkable smoke-free transformation was driven by cooperative creativity, personal initiative and a shared spirit of progress. My hope is that this film will inspire viewers to create positive change in their own communities.”

    More than 100 international stakeholders met at the Royal Society of Arts. One of the highlights of the evening was an engaging panel discussion featuring experts such as Suely Castro from Knowledge Action Change, Martin Cullip from the Taxpayers Protection Alliance Consumer Center and Delon Human from Health Diplomats. The conversation was moderated by Federico N. Fernandez.

  • Japan Tobacco Appoints Executive Members

    Japan Tobacco Appoints Executive Members

    Image: Andrii Yalanskyi

    Japan Tobacco has appointed new executive members to the board of directors.

    Koji Shimayoshi has been appointed as executive vice president (effective Jan. 1, 2024) and representative director (effective March 22, 2024). Shimayoshi is currently executive vice president of JT International. He joined JT in April 1993.

    Shimayoshi will take the place of Kiyohide Hirowatari, who will become a member of the board, effective Jan. 1, 2024. Hirowatari will resign as member of the board upon conclusion of the 39th annual general meeting of shareholders scheduled for March 22, 2024.

    Hiroko Yamashina and Kenji Asakura have been appointed members of the board, effective March 22, 2024. Yamashina is currently a member of the audit and supervisory board, and Asakura is currently representative director and chairman of Nagase and Co. Ltd. Main Kohda will resign as member of the board, effective March 22, 2024. Emiko Takeishi will also join the audit and supervisory board as a member.

    Igo Dzaja will take on the role of senior vice president of marketing and tobacco business for Japan, effective Jan. 1, 2024. Kazuyuki Inui will take on the role of senior vice president of sales and tobacco business for Japan, effective Jan. 1, 2024. The following executive directors will resign effective Dec. 31, 2023: Eiichi Kiyokawa, Chigusa Ogawa and Shuici Hirosue.

  • U.S. Crackdown on Youth Appealing Vapes Continues

    U.S. Crackdown on Youth Appealing Vapes Continues

    Image: iCheer

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued warning letters to seven online retailers for selling and/or distributing unauthorized e-cigarettes packaged to look like youth-appealing toys and drink containers, including milk cartons, soft drink bottles and slushies, according to the FDA. The agency stated that the products’ designs may also help youth conceal the e-cigarettes from adults or be confused with an everyday object and the contents accidentally ingested by young children.

    “As we continue into the school year, it’s critical that parents, teachers and other adults are aware of illegal e-cigarettes deceptively packaged to look like everyday items,” said Brian King, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products. “These types of products can be easily concealed and contain nicotine, which is highly addictive and can harm the developing adolescent brain.”

    The seven retailers that were issued warning letters were given 15 working days to respond with the steps they will take to correct any violations and to prevent future violations. Failure to promptly correct the violations can result in additional FDA actions such as an injunction, seizure and/or civil money penalties.

  • PMI Expands IQOS in Middle East

    PMI Expands IQOS in Middle East

    Image: TRITOOTH

    Philip Morris International has launched IQOS Iluma in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain, with a goal of creating a smoke-free future in the Gulf Cooperation Council region, according to the Saudi Gazette.

    “Adult smokers may be unaware of the choices they are making, largely due to the lack of information and knowledge on products that bring them harm, versus scientifically backed products that reduce the likelihood of smoking-related disease,” said Tarkan Demirbas, area vice president of the Middle East at Philip Morris Management Services (Middle East) Limited. “At PMI, we are invested in providing existing adult smokers with better alternatives through harm reduction innovations, which can help them take a step back from cigarettes toward better alternatives.”

    “Smoking-related diseases today call for a pragmatic solution that places consumers at the forefront while moving away from cigarettes,” said Saim Yasin, director of marketing and digital at PMMS. “IQOS Iluma is our latest innovation in tobacco-heating systems that will accelerate our goal toward a smoke-free future. Through a growing portfolio of smoke-free alternatives, we are reaffirming our commitment to create realistic, society-wide change that can reimagine the world we are living in—without cigarettes.”

    The IQOS Iluma series offers three devices: IQOS Iluma Prime, IQOS Iluma and IQOS Iluma One. All the devices use new induction heating technology but offer different designs.

  • Health Groups Target Zonnic Pouch

    Health Groups Target Zonnic Pouch

    Photo: Imperial Tobacco Canada

    Anti-smoking advocates in Canada are calling for the federal government to restrict sales of Zonnic, a product of Imperial Tobacco Canada (ITCAN), stating that it is aimed at youth. Health Canada recently approved the product, which is a nicotine-replacement therapy (NRT) oral pouch containing up to 4 mg of nicotine.

    Despite the criticism, Imperial Tobacco Canada has defended its product. ITCAN “believes that Zonnic, a nicotine-replacement therapy (NRT) product authorized for sale by Health Canada, will help adult Canadian smokers quit,” the company wrote in a press release. “In addition to the youth access prevention measures ITCAN has already taken, ITCAN would support regulations that limit the sale [of the] NRT category to adults 18 years old and over.”

    “I want to be absolutely clear: Zonnic is not a tobacco product,” said Eric Gagno, vice president of legal and external affairs at ITCAN. “It is licensed, regulated and advertised in the same way as any other smoking cessation product on the market. There should be no reason why ITCAN is singled out for adding another innovative choice to the market to help adult smokers quit.”

    Zonnic is marketed as an NRT for adults, but it is available for sale at convenience stores and gas stations with no legal restrictions on who can purchase it, according to public health groups. The groups also stated that ITCAN’s social media posts feature young people and highlight Zonnic’s flavors, including Berry Frost and Tropic Breeze.

    “It really is incomprehensible that this could have happened, but it has,” Rob Cunningham, senior policy analyst with the Canadian Cancer Society, told The Globe and Mail. “And now it has to be fixed.”

    ITCAN’s press release states that “Zonnic is not promoted any differently than any other competing smoking cessation product in Canada. ITCAN’s marketing guidelines require that all material be targeted at adults. Everyone appearing in Zonnic advertising is 25 years old and older. In addition, the company has gone above and beyond the regulatory requirements in the terms of its market authorization by instructing retailers to require proof of age to purchase Zonnic at convenience stores. Zonnic is also sold behind the counter, which means the retailer must hand the product to the consumer. Furthermore, Zonnic will be available in pharmacies before the end of the month.”

    The public health groups, including the Canadian Cancer Society, the Canadian Lung Association, Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada and the Heart and Stroke Foundation, are calling on the Canadian government to make nicotine pouches prescription only or suspend the sale until changes can be made to prevent sales to minors. The groups are also calling for a moratorium on approval for any other nicotine pouches unless they are prescription only.

    “As for all of our products,” Gagnon said, “our position has been consistent and strong on this point. Nicotine products are for adult consumers only. We believe that if we truly want to reduce the health risks of tobacco products, we need to introduce products that will be appealing to adult smokers and have them available where people traditionally buy their cigarettes. Health groups should be on our side with this rather than putting up roadblocks.”

    “We are aligned to Health Canada’s goal of reducing smoking rates to below 5 percent by 2035,” Gagnon said. “But to get there, we need to change the conversation to bring about impactful outcomes. Governments, health groups and industry must work together in a meaningful manner to bring effective solutions to the market. Our door is always open to have those discussions.”

  • PMI Hosts ‘Technovation’ Event

    PMI Hosts ‘Technovation’ Event

    Photo: PMI

    Philip Morris International recently hosted its seventh Technovation at the Cube, the company’s R&D center in Neuchatel, Switzerland. The event provides stakeholders the opportunity to interact with senior leaders, scientists and R&D experts from PMI.

    According to PMI, the conversations focused on the crucial roles that innovation, technology and science can play in enabling a better future for everyone—highlighting the call to harness the full potential of innovation and evidence-based policies that are needed to steer the collective efforts toward eliminating smoking.

    [T]here’s a potential for a tenfold reduction in smoking-attributable deaths compared with historical tobacco control measures alone.

    Jacek Olczak, PMI CEO

    “It is no longer a case of if smoke-free alternatives are better than cigarette smoking; it is a case of by how much,” said PMI CEO Jacek Olczak in a statement. “Based on WHO [World Health Organization] and other third-party data, our hypothetical model shows that if smoke-free products are assumed to be 80 percent less risky than cigarettes—and if people who currently smoke were to switch to them completely—then over their lifetime, there’s a potential for a tenfold reduction in smoking-attributable deaths compared with historical tobacco control measures alone.”

    Gregoire Verdeaux, PMI’s senior vice president of external affairs, led a discussion on what success looks like when regulating smoke-free alternatives. Citing Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden, the U.K., the U.S. and other countries, Verdeaux made the case for inclusive and innovative frameworks that have complemented traditional tobacco control measures in expediting the decline of smoking.

    The COP10 could be used an as opportunity to bring all stakeholders together, consider the comprehensive science on nicotine alternatives and create guidelines that can help reduce harm.

    Gregoire Verdeaux, senior vice president of external affairs, PMI

    “The number of smokers globally has remained virtually unchanged for the past 30 years,” said Verdeaux, who said the upcoming session of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (COP10)—which was recently postponed to 2024 due to civil unrest in its host country, Panama—presents a chance to change the global smoking rates status quo.

    “The COP10 could be used an as opportunity to bring all stakeholders together, consider the comprehensive science on nicotine alternatives and create guidelines that can help reduce harm for hundreds of millions of smokers around the world. Unfortunately, this is not the case, but we hope that this will change in future for the benefit of a billion smokers and global public health,” said Verdeaux.

    The missing piece of the puzzle is the collective effort of governments, the public health community, our industry and civil society.

    Tommaso Di Giovanni, vice president of international communications and engagement, PMI

    Tommaso Di Giovanni, PMI’s vice president of international communications and engagement, discussed what more can be done to encourage innovation in the tobacco industry. He said, “Better alternatives to cigarettes exist, and scientific data support their potential to be less harmful. The missing piece of the puzzle is the collective effort of governments, the public health community, our industry and civil society to make these alternatives accessible to adult smokers who do not quit. To support this transformation, we envision to become a majority smoke-free-led entity, with smoke-free options now accounting for over 36 percent of total net revenues, following third-quarter financial results.”

  • Zimbabwe Leaf Exports Top $1 Billion

    Zimbabwe Leaf Exports Top $1 Billion

    Image: Tobacco Reporter

    Tobacco export earnings in Zimbabwe have increased to over $1 billion as of Nov. 10, and dryland farmers have continued to plant, according to The Herald.

    According to the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) weekly report data from Nov. 10, there was a 41 percent increase in the value of exported tobacco from $753.14 million from January to Nov. 10, 2022, to $1.06 billion in the same period of 2023.

    This year, there was a 28 percent increase in volume terms from 157.95 million kg to 202.68 million kg. The average price increased 10 percent to $5.25 per kilogram.

    The Far East market accounts for 64 percent of earnings, followed by the European Union at 14 percent and Africa at 12 percent. The Far East market had the highest average price at $7.19, followed by the EU at $4.37 and Africa at $3.43.

    According to the TIMB report, there was a 3 percent decrease in total area under tobacco to 27,615 hectares this year.

    Due to the El Nino weather forecast, there has been a 10 percent increase in irrigated area to 17,395 hectares. The area planted under dry land tobacco decreased 20 percent to 10,220 hectares.

    The 2023/2024 season shows a 25 percent decrease in growers registered to 107,415. Of the registered growers, 92 percent are contracted.

    “We hope mother nature will hear us this coming two weeks because we might lose some of the planted tobacco if it does not rain,” said George Seremwe, chairman of the Zimbabwe Tobacco Growers Association.

    “We encourage farmers to do their best to mitigate negative effects of El Nino, and those who have not yet started planting must continue attending to nurseries and prepare land,” said Victor Mariranyika, president of the Tobacco Farmers Union Trust.

    Zimbabwe aims to increase the value of its tobacco business to $5 billion by 2025 as part of the government’s Tobacco Value Chain Transformation Plan.

  • Ghana’s Tobacco Control Strategy

    Ghana’s Tobacco Control Strategy

    Image: Asada

    Ghana’s government has developed a five-year National Tobacco Control Strategy (NTCS) with a goal of decreasing the consumption rate of tobacco in the country, reports The Ghanaian Times. The end goal of the NTCS is to eradicate all tobacco usage.

    The Ministry of Health, the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), the World Health Organization and the United Nations Development Program put the strategy plan together along with advocate policymakers on tobacco control.

    According to Baffour Awuah, acting director of the Technical Coordination Directorate of the Ministry of Health, cardiovascular disease rates due to increased smoking are rising.

    “The strategy we are launching today is the climax of extensive collaboration, research and commitment by various stakeholders, experts and civil society,” Awuah said. “Its purpose is to guide us in combatting the devastating effects of tobacco use, both in terms of health and the economy.

    “It aims to ensure effective coordination among agencies involved in tobacco control, setting clear goals and adopting strategic timelines.”

    Awuah encouraged stakeholders to actively engage in discussions to help transform the document into tangible action.

    Olivia Boateng, director in charge of tobacco and substance abuse at the FDA, stated that illicit trade in tobacco products has made them more accessible at lower prices. The country has made progress in tobacco control policies, but the illicit trade has “amplified the tobacco epidemic,” according to Boateng.

    Stakeholders will be trained on the protocol to eliminate illicit trade in tobacco products in the country once the NTCS is implemented, according to Boateng.

  • Postponed COP to Prioritize ENDS Rules

    Postponed COP to Prioritize ENDS Rules

    Image: Tobacco Reporter archive

    The regulation of new and emerging e-cigarette, heated-tobacco and nicotine products will be one of the central topics of discussion at the COP10-MOP3 international tobacco control conferences next year, said Adriana Blanco, head of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), in a virtual press conference on Nov. 14, reported ECigIntelligence.

    Speaking from the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, Blanco said that proposals to create more stringent rules and health guidelines to govern new tobacco and nicotine product use will be prioritized at the COP10 (10th Conference of the Parties to the WHO FCTC) and the MOP3 (third session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products), which will now take place in Panama next year.

  • Paper Market Projected to Exceed $500 Million

    Paper Market Projected to Exceed $500 Million

    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    The value of the cigarette paper market is likely to reach $552.8 million by 2034, according to a new report by Future Market Insights (FMI). In 2024, the market value is estimated to be $407.3 million. As smokers worldwide seek affordable options, the cigarette paper market is expected to expand by 3.10 percent from 2024 to 2034.

    Nearly 1.1 billion people in the world smoke tobacco products. A major part of this population resides in developing and underdeveloped nations where the per capita income is lower than the global average, and the demand for cost-effective smoking alternatives has been experiencing exponential growth. With cigarette papers, smoking enthusiasts can make their cigarettes by using their desired tobacco products.

    In the past few years, demand has also shifted toward products made from sustainable materials. Key players in the industry have already started developing cigarette papers made from hemp, wood pulp, etc. This move will not only appeal to the younger population concerned about the environment but also reduce the carbon footprint these companies leave during the manufacturing process of these products.

    Apart from all these factors, cigarette papers also offer considerable flexibility and options for the smoking experience to the consumers.

    “The market for cigarette papers has a huge potential as the number of smokers in the world is growing continuously. The average per capita income across the world is rising, and people are investing a considerable amount in leisure activities. The cigarette paper manufacturers can capitalize on this trend to gain higher profits in the market,” said Senior Consultant Ismail Sutaria in Packaging in a statement.