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Category: News This Week

  • BAT to Sell Stake in ITC Hotels to Reduce Debt

    BAT to Sell Stake in ITC Hotels to Reduce Debt

    British American Tobacco announced that its subsidiaries plan to sell between 7% and 15.3% of their shares in ITC Hotels through an accelerated bookbuild. The exact number of shares will be set to optimize pricing. Established in 1975, the business of ITC Hotels has grown to encompass over 140 hotels across more than 90 destinations in the Indian subcontinent.

    Proceeds from the sale will help BAT move toward its “target 2–2.5x net debt/EBITDA leverage” by the end of 2026. BAT’s stake in ITC Hotels arose from a recent demerger and is not considered a strategic holding, CEO Tadeu Marroco said. Final sale details will be disclosed after the transaction closes.

  • Researchers Find Enzyme that Drives Nicotine, Smoking Dependence

    Researchers Find Enzyme that Drives Nicotine, Smoking Dependence

    New research has revealed that astrocytes—brain glial cells once thought to be passive—actively contribute to nicotine-induced changes that reinforce addiction. The study, led by Professor Eun Sang Choe at Pusan National University in South Korea, shows that astrocytic glutamine synthetase (GS) regulates locomotor sensitization after repeated nicotine exposure, highlighting a previously overlooked mechanism in the brain’s reward system.

    Using rat models, the team found that nicotine activated α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors on astrocytes in the caudate and putamen, triggering intracellular calcium surges. This led to activation of phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinase (pJNK), which interacted with metabotropic glutamate receptor 1a (mGluR1a) to boost GS activity and the glutamate-glutamine pathway, enhancing locomotor sensitization. Blocking this pathway with a custom inhibitory peptide reduced GS activity and dampened nicotine-induced behavioral changes.

    The findings underscore the importance of neuron-glia communication in addiction and offer new directions for research into nicotine dependence. While clinical applications remain distant, Professor Choe says the study “deepens our understanding of nicotine addiction, paving the way for development of therapeutic strategies to support smoking-cessation efforts.”

  • Swedish Pouch Manufacturer Opening U.S. Facility

    Swedish Pouch Manufacturer Opening U.S. Facility

    Swedish pouch manufacturer WiJo Pouches NA announced that is has been approved to establish its first U.S. manufacturing site, investing $13.5 million in Lexington County, South Carolina. WiJo Pouches North America, Inc. is expected to add 170 new jobs when it becomes operational by March 2026. The company provides contract manufacturing for nicotine, caffeine, and functional pouches.

    Lexington County Council and the South Carolina Department of Commerce supported the project, which passed council approval unanimously and faced no public opposition.

    Lexington County officials said the project strengthens the region’s international business profile, following other recent manufacturing investments from Cardiff Products, AllTape Adhesive, and Techo-Bloc, all currently under construction.

  • India Raises Cigarette Tax to Curb Consumption

    India Raises Cigarette Tax to Curb Consumption

    India’s parliament approved the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill 2025, a tax reform expected to raise cigarette prices for the country’s estimated 100 million smokers. The bill was introduced on December 1 and passed on December 3.

    The new law replaces a temporary levy and imposes a value-based tax of 2,700–11,000 rupees ($29–$122) per thousand sticks, depending on size, in addition to a 40% goods and services tax. Experts estimate this could raise excise duties by 25–40% on average, potentially prompting higher retail prices. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman emphasized that cigarettes should not become affordable, noting that current taxes account for about 53% of retail prices.

  • Sweden Nears Milestone as Europe’s First ‘Smoke-Free’ Nation

    Sweden Nears Milestone as Europe’s First ‘Smoke-Free’ Nation

    Sweden’s smoking rate is in decline this year, putting it on track to become Europe’s first smoke-free country, ready to eclipse the World Health Organization’s 5% threshold, according to Gulf News. Last year, its daily smoking rate fell to 5.2%, a sharp decline from 15% in 2005, credited to long-running public health campaigns and the widespread switch to lower-risk nicotine products such as snus and tobacco-free pouches.

    About 18% of Swedes now use snus or similar products, which, though not risk-free, experts say are far less harmful than cigarettes. Over the past decade, daily smoking has dropped 55%, accompanied by a 38% fall in tobacco-related deaths among men and a 41% decline in lung cancer cases.

    Public health specialists say Sweden’s blend of regulation, clear messaging, and safer alternatives—backed by high social trust—offers a potential roadmap for other nations working to cut smoking rates.

  • Wisconsin Lawmakers Renew Push to Raise Tobacco Age to 21

    Wisconsin Lawmakers Renew Push to Raise Tobacco Age to 21

    Wisconsin legislators are again attempting to bring state law in line with federal rules that set the minimum tobacco purchasing age at 21. Despite the federal change in 2019, state law still lists the age as 18, creating confusion for retailers and police. Similar bills cleared the Assembly in 2020 and 2022 but stalled in the Senate.

    Supporters say updating the law would strengthen enforcement and help curb youth access. “When 18-year-olds are allowed to purchase these products, they often find their way into the hands of younger friends and classmates,” said Rep. Karen Hurd, R-Withee.

    Many retailers, including Madison’s Puffin Pass, already follow the federal age limit. “Nicotine products for us have always been 21,” said general manager Seth Blackstone.

    Senate leaders have not indicated whether they will support the new proposal.

  • Nigeria Wants THR to Drive Low Smoking Rates Lower

    Nigeria Wants THR to Drive Low Smoking Rates Lower

    Despite already having one of the world’s lowest smoking rates at 3.7%, public-health experts are urging Nigeria to adopt a science-based, risk-proportionate tobacco harm-reduction (THR) strategy, saying the country cannot meaningfully cut smoking-related diseases without offering safer alternatives to cigarettes. Epidemiologist Dr. Yusuff Adebayo said traditional tobacco-control measures should be strengthened but paired with validated low-risk nicotine options for adults who cannot quit.

    Adebayo said Nigeria needs clear product standards, safety rules, transparent labelling, and tax policies that reflect relative risk, warning that high taxes or unclear regulations could push smokers to illicit, dangerous products.

    Adebayo cited countries such as the UK, Sweden, and Japan as examples of risk-proportionate frameworks that have helped reduce smoking rates. He also highlighted gaps in medical training, referencing a 2024 study showing uncertainty about THR among Nigerian medical students. Experts say a structured THR policy could also reduce illicit trade, attract compliant manufacturers, and lower long-term healthcare costs.

  • Extent of Australia’s Illicit Tobacco Crisis Coming to Light

    Extent of Australia’s Illicit Tobacco Crisis Coming to Light

    Australia’s illicit tobacco trade is believed to be nearing double the size of the legal market, with excessive excise rates driving a surge in smuggled cigarettes, illicit tobacco and e-cigarette commissioner Amber Shuhyta warned. She told the Senate that estimates of black-market products may be approaching 65% of all tobacco sold, fueled by retail cigarette prices approaching A$50 ($33) a pack. Smuggled packs sell for about A$15 ($9.90), pulling revenue away from legitimate retailers and the federal budget.

    Legal tobacco sales are collapsing, she said. Supplier Metcash reported a 35% drop in sales over the six months to October, while Australia’s tobacco tax take has fallen from 0.8% of national income to below 0.3% in five years—creating a A$69 billion ($45.5 billion) budget shortfall.

    Meanwhile, organized crime groups competing for control of the illegal tobacco and vaping market have been linked to murders, extortion, and hundreds of fire bombings nationwide. Border Force Commissioner Gavan Reynolds said officers seized more than 2.5 billion cigarettes last financial year and intercepted 439 tons of loose tobacco, worth an estimated A$4.4 billion ($2.9 billion) in evaded duty. He said enforcement now targets the supply chain “before the border, at the border, and post-border.”

  • PMI Expands Partnership with Scuderia Ferrari HP

    PMI Expands Partnership with Scuderia Ferrari HP

    Philip Morris International announced an expanded partnership with Scuderia Ferrari HP and the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli for the 2026 season and beyond. As part of the deal, PMI’s ZYN nicotine pouches will appear on select Scuderia Ferrari HP Formula 1 liveries, debuting at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 7.

    Stefano Volpetti, PMI’s President of Smoke-Free Products, said the collaboration reflects a shared drive to innovate and engage adult consumers. “By further enhancing our partnership with Scuderia Ferrari HP, we hope to accelerate the replacement of cigarettes, and we want our adult consumers of nicotine products, like ZYN, to embrace and enjoy every moment of this thrilling ride,” he said.

    Ferrari’s Lorenzo Giorgetti highlighted the partnership’s longevity and shared values, saying, “Our renewed collaboration with PMI continues a relationship that has lasted for over fifty years, grounded in scientific progress and long-term thinking.”

  • Dutch Researchers Alarmed that Teens Wake to Vape

    Dutch Researchers Alarmed that Teens Wake to Vape

    A new Dutch study reports unusually high levels of nicotine dependence among secondary school pupils, with more than one-third of teenage smokers saying they wake up at night because they need nicotine. The research, published in the European Journal of Pediatrics, surveyed 978 students across five schools and found that 396 had smoked or vaped in the past year and 183 used nicotine daily. Most began around age 13 and often progressed to cigarettes, which researchers said highlights the need for stronger limits on youth access.

    Doctors involved in the study said night-time vaping is a clear marker of addiction and warned that many parents remain unaware their children smoke. Addiction expert Reinout Wiers of the University of Amsterdam told de Volkskrant he was surprised by the extent of night-time use, calling it “alarming.”

    The findings coincide with a new government anti-vaping campaign, amid repeated warnings from lung specialists as severe vaping-related medical cases emerge in the Netherlands. Other research has found that some youth-favored vapes contain toxic metals, carcinogenic chemicals, and nicotine levels above legal limits.