TobaccoReporter logo

Blog

  • Is Science Impacting Policy or Policy Impacting Science? GTNF 2026

    Is Science Impacting Policy or Policy Impacting Science? GTNF 2026

    At GTNF 2026 in Lisbon, a panel examining the science behind the European Union’s proposed TPD3 legislation questioned whether policymakers are adequately considering the available evidence on tobacco harm reduction. Moderator Sud Patwardhan said decisions are being made on information that has been submitted but not necessarily analyzed, while Peter Beckett of Three Six One said science alone may not determine regulatory outcomes, with political pressure likely to remain influential. Imperial Brands’ Libby Clarke argued that regulation should reflect the best available science and said recent EY reports gave too little consideration to relative risk and harm reduction. Nathalie Darge of Tobacco Europe said stakeholders should remain engaged with the regulatory process, while Konstantinos Farsalinos of the Universities of Patras and West Attica said scientists have raised concerns that evidence supporting harm reduction and flexible regulation is being overlooked.

    Clarke said real-world evidence and the cumulative weight of research should be considered rather than focusing primarily on absolute risk, pointing to countries that have taken what she described as pragmatic approaches to tobacco harm reduction and seen declines in smoking. Farsalinos said the EU’s call for evidence generated what he described as an unprecedented volume of feedback supporting harm reduction and flexible regulation, but that senior health officials have opposed those views. He called for the results to be published and for additional data to be generated and communicated.

  • Don’t Be Afraid to Fail: GTNF 2026

    Don’t Be Afraid to Fail: GTNF 2026

    Innovation in the nicotine sector is increasingly being shaped by regulation, consumer needs and the ability of companies to test, fail, and iterate, speakers said during the “Supporting Industry” panel at GTNF 2026 in Lisbon.

    Sarah Marking, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Sanova, said product-development methods need to be sensitive and that companies should be comfortable with failure as long as they learn from it. The objective, she said, is to fail at the right stage of the development process rather than after a product reaches the market. Alexander Holthuizen, head of sales at The Snus Brothers Distribution, similarly said prototyping demonstrates that a product can be made once, while manufacturing must demonstrate that it can be produced consistently at scale. He described the ability to fail and iterate as central to product innovation.

    Regulation is also playing a larger role in determining innovation, according to Tim Phillips, managing director of Tamarind Intelligence. He said regulation can create challenges but can also build consumer confidence and become a competitive advantage. Dean Cirotta, president of EAS Consulting Group, said proposed FDA rules could expand the definition of a manufacturer to include companies elsewhere in the supply chain, making early involvement in the regulatory process increasingly important. Chris Allen, CEO and co-founder of Broughton, said companies need to understand customer needs, product characteristics, nicotine dosing and applicable regulatory guidance. Sairah Salim-Sartoni, managing director of Salim-Sartoni Associates, said innovation requires a combination of consumer demand and regulatory pressure, with consumers ultimately determining whether products succeed. She also cited a UK finding that 56% of people believe nicotine is harmful and said cultural familiarity and consumer understanding remain important factors in adoption. Speakers also pointed to nicotine pouches as an area of continued potential, while Phillips identified artificial intelligence and the growing volume of sector data as both a major challenge and an opportunity for innovation.

  • Up-and-Coming Nicotine Innovators

    Up-and-Coming Nicotine Innovators

    Emerging nicotine companies said regulatory barriers, consumer education and the infrastructure surrounding products are increasingly shaping innovation at GTNF 2026 in Lisbon. Anna Franzén, chief regulatory, clinical and quality officer at Emplicure Consumer AB, said consumer diversity is important and that companies need greater cross-functional cooperation. Ronan Barry, chief legal and corporate affairs officer at AIR, said the share of nicotine consumers using combustible cigarettes has fallen from roughly 90%-95% a decade ago to about half today. He said innovation still needs to match the results of traditional smoking while providing safer alternatives, but argued that regulatory requirements and compliance costs can give illicit operators an advantage.

    Fredrik Laurell, CEO of Nicoccino, said the industry has a responsibility to consumers who prefer nicotine to provide quality, safer products. He said overly restrictive regulations can create barriers for legitimate businesses while criminals face fewer obstacles, and called for greater cooperation between industry and regulators. Martin Miller, chief commercial officer at IKE, said innovation has shifted from the product itself to the infrastructure connecting consumers, products and regulation. He said manufacturers need to build regulatory considerations into products from the beginning rather than retrofit them later.

    Ryan Selby, managing director of Emerald Innovations, said nicotine adoption depends on more than the substance itself, with rituals and established consumer behaviors also influencing product use. He said heavily regulated markets limit opportunities to test new products and argued that companies need room to innovate while maintaining appropriate regulation. Selby also said limited consumer awareness remains a challenge, arguing that decades of public messaging about the risks of smoking have also contributed to misconceptions about nicotine. He said larger tobacco companies can play an important role in bringing new products to global markets.

  • Innovation Requires Regulatory Viability: GTNF 2026

    Innovation Requires Regulatory Viability: GTNF 2026

    Innovation in tobacco and nicotine products is advancing rapidly, but companies must account for regulation, product standards and consumer needs alongside science and technology, speakers said at GTNF 2026 in Lisbon. In her keynote, Eve Wang, executive director at Smoore International, said the industry has moved from introducing new products into a growth phase, while noting the speed at which products can move from concept to commercialization in China. She compared the development process to a Chinese saying: “The journey is half complete when you are 90% of the way there. The last mile is always the hardest.”

    During the subsequent Innovation 360 panel, moderated by Wang, Clio Boura, head of science operations at British American Tobacco, said innovation needs to work closely with science and an enabling regulatory framework that establishes clear quality and safety requirements. She also pointed to portability, convenience, digital technology and sustainability as factors likely to shape products over the next five years. Greg Conley, senior regulatory counsel at ITG Brands, said, “Regulatory viability has to be part of viability from day 1,” arguing that product standards could give companies clearer targets for meeting regulatory requirements. He said the industry’s priority should be the ability to “innovate repeatedly, to keep moving things forward.”

    Yu Kang, head of research institute at Hangsen International, said rapid evolution is central to the e-cigarette industry but that innovation must include consumer protection and supply-chain oversight. He called for more efficient premarket review, collection of product standards across markets and closer cooperation among regulators and innovators, supported by scientific data demonstrating safety and compliance. Kang also emphasized the need to continually collect consumer feedback to develop products that meet quality expectations while supporting harm reduction.

  • Illicit Market Threatens Harm Reduction Progress

    Illicit Market Threatens Harm Reduction Progress

    The growing illicit nicotine market is creating risks for brand protection, consumer safety and tobacco harm reduction, speakers said at GTNF 2026 in Lisbon during the “Playing Defense – Brand Protection and its Impact on Harm Reduction and Consumers” panel. Following a keynote address, Lillian Ortega, founder and chief regulatory strategist at WOW Solutions, moderated the panel and said the U.S. unauthorized vape market is already significant and warned that “you can’t enforce your way out of it.” Ortega said an estimated 70% of the U.S. vape market is unauthorized, although the figure does not capture online sales and some vape shops, and argued that regulatory delays and gaps in FDA oversight can leave demand to illicit suppliers. She called for timely and predictable product authorization, better tracking of products entering the U.S. and greater information sharing throughout the supply chain.

    Michael Horowitz, managing counsel at RAI Services Company, said an entrenched illegal market is difficult to reverse, particularly when consumers may not realize they are purchasing unauthorized products. He also pointed to fragmented enforcement and the difficulty of distinguishing unauthorized products from products that are genuinely illicit.

    Abel Vecino, head of illicit trade prevention for Southwest Europe at Philip Morris International, said brand protection is also about protecting consumers as they move away from combustible products. He said criminal organizations are scaling production, moving closer to consumer markets and exploiting enforcement gaps, while adapting to demand for lower-priced products. Vecino called for greater cooperation with law enforcement and proactive partnerships before problems emerge.

    Stevan Vranes, global head of corporate affairs at Imperial Brands, said illicit products are increasingly visible in local communities and legitimate retail channels, while distinguishing legal from illegal products has become more difficult in newer nicotine categories. He said illicit cigarette factories across Europe can now produce up to 1 million cigarettes an hour and that illicit sales are increasingly moving online. Vranes called for a holistic approach, including greater pressure on social media and stronger action against online sales, while acknowledging that authorities cannot physically inspect every container entering global ports.

  • GTNF Keynote Challenges Tobacco Control’s Approach

    GTNF Keynote Challenges Tobacco Control’s Approach

    Benjamin Dessart, head of external affairs at Universal Corporation, used his GTNF 2026 keynote in Lisbon to compare the regulatory approaches of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), arguing that transparency, stakeholder participation and due process produce stronger policymaking. Dessart said climate policy has embraced collaboration with industry, while an increasingly restrictive interpretation of FCTC Article 5.3 has limited participation by tobacco-industry stakeholders. He contrasted the UNFCCC’s Article 6, which calls for public participation in addressing climate change, with FCTC Article 5.3, which requires parties to protect tobacco-control policies from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry.

    Dessart said the difference has become increasingly visible at the respective Conferences of the Parties, noting that climate COPs provide greater public access and increasingly engage industry, while tobacco COPs have tightened observer and media access. He presented a regression analysis of 48 European countries comparing FCTC implementation levels with changes in tobacco use from 2000 to 2025. According to his presentation, the analysis produced an R-squared of 0.02 and a p-value of 0.32, indicating no statistically significant relationship between the level of FCTC implementation and reductions in tobacco use.

    Dessart pointed to the U.S., which is not a party to the FCTC, as an example of a country that engages stakeholders and has adopted a harm reduction approach. He said U.S. tobacco use declined 23.4% between 2000 and 2025, compared with declines of 25.9% in the United Kingdom, 26.7% in Austria, 30% in Sweden and 33% in Norway. He concluded by calling on industry, farmers, retailers and consumers to participate when governments seek input and said industry must be “a trusted partner” by being transparent, consistent and intellectually honest.

  • Climate Policy and Sustainability Take Center Stage at GTNF 2026

    Climate Policy and Sustainability Take Center Stage at GTNF 2026

    GTNF 2026’s “Innovative Responses to Climate Change & Global Climate Policy” panel examined how the nicotine industry is responding to environmental pressures through sustainability strategies, regulation, and industry-government cooperation. Moderator Ben Dessart, vice president of external affairs at Universal Corporation, opened by stressing the need for industry to “be part of the conversation.”

    Nicole Austin, director of sustainability engagement and strategic partnerships at Philip Morris International, said sustainability must be integrated across business decisions rather than treated as a separate initiative. She identified combustible products as the company’s largest negative environmental impact and smoke-free products as its largest positive contribution, with PMI’s strategy focused on making cigarettes obsolete by addressing both supply and demand. Austin said, “Reacting is much more expensive than predicting,” emphasizing long-term planning to mitigate risk.

    Aylèn Van Isseldyk, founder and director of THR, Ethics and Sustainability, focused on the environmental challenges posed by disposable vaping products. She said the industry cannot allow advances in nicotine delivery to create a new source of environmental harm and argued for proportional policies that consider both human and environmental health while protecting vulnerable populations. Miranda Kinney, senior vice president and global head of corporate affairs and impact at Pyxus, emphasized the need for industry and governments to work together and said environmental efforts should begin with farmers rather than at the manufacturing stage. She said educating farmers about why environmental practices matter can change how they handle materials such as plastic. Tadas Lisauskas, president and co-founder of Greenbutts, said regulation and compliance will be key to driving adoption of biodegradable products, arguing that large companies need regulatory certainty to justify allocating budgets to solutions that consumers may not yet demand.

  • FDA Names Koplow as Tobacco Center Director

    FDA Names Koplow as Tobacco Center Director

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has selected Bret Koplow, Ph.D., J.D., as director of the Center for Tobacco Products, giving the center a permanent leader with more than a decade of legal, policy, and regulatory experience at the agency. Koplow has served at FDA since 2011, including as senior counselor to the FDA commissioner, where he focused on regulatory, policy, and operational matters involving tobacco products. He had been serving as CTP’s acting director before the appointment.

    According to the Department of Health and Human Services, Koplow will lead CTP around two priorities: promoting innovation and access to less harmful alternatives for adults who smoke while taking action to protect youth and minors from tobacco and nicotine. His appointment was part of four senior FDA leadership selections announced by HHS, including Jared Seehafer as the agency’s first deputy commissioner for technology and artificial intelligence, Michael Davis as director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research and Karim Mikhail as director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

    HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the appointments are intended to advance reforms and strengthen FDA’s leadership in medical innovation. Acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas said the selections “signal the direction we are heading” as the agency seeks to build its workforce and infrastructure and accelerate innovation across its centers.

  • Surviving a Global Trade System: GTNF 2026

    Surviving a Global Trade System: GTNF 2026

    At GTNF 2026 in Lisbon, Chris Greer, senior vice president for regulatory and external affairs at Stryk Brands, moderated a panel examining how companies can navigate an increasingly fragmented global trade environment. “Surviving in a Global Trade System” focused on cross-border challenges involving taxes, tariffs, regulation, movement of goods and services, and labor, with panelists arguing that increasingly localized requirements are creating high costs and complexity for businesses.

    Greer said the panel was focused on systemic issues that are changing rapidly, including the growing influence of health regulations on international trade. He warned against one-size-fits-all approaches and said excessive non-tariff barriers can reduce market efficiency and contribute to illicit markets.

    Tracy Berry, vice president of tax compliance at Laudisi Enterprises, said the costs of increasingly complex requirements ultimately fall on consumers. She also highlighted the burden on small businesses, pointing to FDA treatment of an artisan pipe maker producing a single pipe in a garage compared with a large manufacturing facility.

    Chris Gemmell, chief product and innovation officer at Greentank Technologies, said the era of a single global product platform is ending as companies adapt products to individual markets. He suggested companies think of products like “Legos,” with modular components that can be changed quickly to meet different regulatory requirements. He also pointed to the cumulative costs of compliance, testing, taxes and tariffs, particularly when compliant companies compete against businesses that do not face the same costs.

    Markus Lindblad, head of legal and external affairs at Haypp Group, said companies may be international in scope but increasingly have to operate locally because regulations differ significantly between countries. He argued that regulators should pursue “purpose-driven regulation” rather than simply adding more rules and said global technology platforms also need greater regulatory attention. Lindblad said companies must consider not only whether they can enter a market but whether the market is stable and provides sufficient conditions to operate.

  • Supply Chain Resilience will Depend on Regulatory Readiness: GTNF26

    Supply Chain Resilience will Depend on Regulatory Readiness: GTNF26

    Suppliers to the nicotine industry will increasingly need to anticipate regulatory changes rather than react to them, according to speakers at GTNF 2026’s panel on global supply-chain challenges and opportunities. Moderated by Laura Leigh Oyler, vice president of regulatory affairs at Haypp Group, the panel emphasized that regulation—not supply disruptions alone—will remain one of the biggest risks facing suppliers as new nicotine products and requirements continue to emerge.

    Ross Kirsh, CEO and founder of Dymapak, said companies will need flexible supply chains and contingency plans rather than attempts to predict every potential disruption. Brands that wait until a regulatory change becomes a rule risk scrambling for solutions and facing delays of months or more. Kirsh also argued that standards should focus on performance rather than prescribe specific products or technologies, allowing innovation to determine the most effective and economical solutions.

    Rahul Mathew, director of sales for next-generation products at Leaf N Beyond, said regulatory changes will continue to influence supply and suppliers will need to build expertise to help customers navigate them. He argued that supply-chain planning should become part of product development itself, with companies preparing for multiple possible outcomes rather than trying to predict a single one. Mathew also pointed to sustainability, scale and science as key considerations as the industry evolves. He said traditional customer-supplier relationships will remain important, but the supply chain will become less efficient unless both sides improve communication and better understand each other’s needs.

    Przemysław Pitura, global head of procurement at Chemnovatic, stressed the importance of knowing the supply chain in detail and maintaining the ability to trace products back through every stage of production. He said suppliers should be involved before a product is finalized because making changes later can be difficult and expensive. Pitura also emphasized the value of developing alternative supply sources before they are needed, saying the best time to build an alternative is when there is no immediate need for one. He noted that changing requirements will continue to create challenges, but companies with experienced people and strong supplier relationships can turn that uncertainty into an advantage.