Category: News This Week

Medicago Starts Human Trials of Covid Vaccine

Photo: Dimitri Houtteman from Pixabay
Medicago, a Quebec-based biotechnology company backed by Philip Morris International as well as other large investors, has begun human testing for its Covid-19 vaccine, reports Bloomberg.
The vaccine is derived from the plant nicotiana benthamiana, a close relative to tobacco, to provoke an immune response to the virus.
Medicago’s human trials will involve 180 patients ages 18 to 55. It will test various doses of the vaccine, both alone and combined with two adjuvants—one from GlaxoSmithKline and another from Dynavax Technologies.
If the trial is successful, Medicago plans to start late-stage trials in October and manufacture 100 million doses by the end of next year.
July 15, 2020
Puff Bar Suspends Sales in the United States

Photo: Puff Bar
Puff Bar has “ceased all online sales and distribution in the U.S. until further notice,” according to its website. International sales will continue for now.
The California-based e-cigarette company has come under scrutiny lately for replacing Juul as the vape of choice among young people as Juul Labs discontinued some of its flavored products.
Puff Bar comes in more than 20 flavors, including pina colada and pink lemonade. Although the Trump administration banned fruit, mint and dessert flavors in refillable cartridge-based e-cigarettes like Juul earlier this year, it exempted brands that are used once and thrown away.
Launched last year, Puff Bar has been the key beneficiary of the decision to exempt disposables form the flavor ban. Juul’s business, by contrast, has shriveled since it restricted sales in the United States to tobacco and menthol varieties last fall.
When the FDA started regulating e-cigarettes, it permitted the continued sale of products that were on the market as of Aug. 8, 2016, pending agency review. Because Puff Bar was introduced after that date, the agency should have the authority to remove it even though the product is disposable and even if the FDA cannot prove the company is targeting youths.
The exception would be if Puff Bar had already been on the market before the 2016 deadline, under a different name or sold by another company.
Much remains unknown about Puff Bar. For example, it is unclear who owns the company, according to FairWarning. A document filed with the California Secretary of State lists Patrick Beltran as the chief financial officer and Nick Minas as the CEO, but both men have stated that despite their titles, they are in charge only of running the company’s website.
While online U.S. sales have been suspended for now, Puff Bar products are still available on other ecommerce sites, such as Eliquidstop, which is owned by Minas and Beltran. Puff Bars can also still be found at numerous convenience stores throughout the U.S.
July 14, 2020
Outdoor Smoking Ban Condemned

Simon Clark (Photo: Taco Tuinstra)
The smoker advocacy group Forest has condemned a plan to ban outdoor smoking at U.K. pubs and cafes amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
A group of lawmakers wants the government to require smoking to be banned if the businesses want licenses to serve pavement drinks.
“This is gross opportunism by a small group of anti-smoking peers who have spotted a chance to advance their extreme anti-smoking agenda,” said Simon Clark, director of Forest.
“There is no evidence that smoking in the open air is a threat to public health, so this is a matter for individual businesses not government or local authorities. In the wake of lockdown, pubs, restaurants and cafes already face huge challenges. This is the worst possible time to add to their burden by imposing further regulations that could discourage a lot of smokers from returning.”
Forest is urging the hospitality industry to fight the ban.
“The smoking ban had a huge impact on the pub sector and was a significant factor in thousands of pubs closing after it was introduced in 2007,” Clark said.

July 14, 2020
Warren elected as a USTC Director

USTC produces U.S. flue-cured tobacco grown by member in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. (Photo courtesy of USTC)
Lindsey Warren has been elected as a director of U.S. Tobacco Cooperative (USTC) by members District 10. Warren will serve for a three-year term commencing immediately and ending on April 30, 2023.
A resident of Lunenburg County, Virginia, USA, Warren has shown dedication to the cooperative as a member since 1982 and is currently farming several crops on more than 3,000 acres at Warren Farms, according to USTC.
“We are happy to have Mr. Lindsey Warren on our team and look forward to working with him,” the cooperative wrote in statement.”
July 14, 2020
Juul Takes Action Against Illicit Products

Photo: Juul
Juul Labs has filed its third action with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), directed at all importers of unauthorized “Juul-compatible pods” that copy Juul Labs’ patented product designs without authorization.
The action seeks a general exclusion order barring the importation of any infringing, unauthorized pod-based product designed to be used with the Juul System, including compatible flavored pods and refillable pods, effectively eliminating a sector of illicit products that seek to circumvent federal policy, can present additional health and safety risks to adult consumers, and undercut underage-prevention measures.
Additionally, Juul Labs is asking the ITC to issue orders stopping the distribution, marketing, and sale of all such products already in the country.
This patent enforcement action builds off previous actions Juul Labs pursued at the ITC, targeting a broad range of importers of unauthorized Juul-compatible products, including Eonsmoke and Ziip Labs. According to Juul, past actions have successfully resulted in stopping the ongoing importation of more than 40 brands of illicit and unauthorized Juul-compatible pods and products.
With this new action, Juul Labs says it seeks an even larger impact with a remedy that will not only bar the pod products named in the complaint but will also bar all other infringing pod products that copy Juul Labs’ patented designs.
July 13, 2020
U.K. Tobacco Sales Down After Plain Packs

Photo: Marc Bruxelle | Dreamstime.com
Cigarette sales have fallen by about 20 million a month in the U.K. since plain packaging rules have been in effect, reports The Guardian, citing a new study.
“The underlying rate of decline in tobacco sales almost doubled after these policies were implemented,” said Anna Gilmore, director of the Tobacco Control Research Group (TCRG).
Before plain packaging rules were implemented in 2017, cigarette sales were falling by about 12 million a month, according to the TCRG.
“Governments around the world considering plain packaging can be reassured that this policy works and that the real reason the industry opposes this legislation so vehemently is because it threatens its profitability,” said Gilmore. “With coronavirus already posing a threat to tobacco company sales and plain packaging of tobacco taking off in other jurisdictions, our findings are more bad news for tobacco companies.”
The tobacco industry’s net revenue fell 13 percent, from £231 million ($291.9 million) to £198 million a month, after the implementation of the plain packaging rules.
The study was funded by Cancer Research U.K. and the British Heart Foundation.
July 13, 2020
Ballard Joins Vector as Technology Officer

Image: Skypixel | Dreamstime.com
Vector Group has appointed veteran industry operations and technology leader David Ballard as senior vice president of enterprise efficiency and chief technology officer. In this newly created role, Ballard will be responsible for seeking out new technologies and operational efficiencies for the company and its subsidiaries. Ballard has served as a consultant to the company since February 2020.
“We are delighted to welcome David to the company,” said Howard M. Lorber, president and chief executive officer of Vector Group. “With over 30 years of experience, David will bring to our management team a level of technology and operations expertise that will be highly addictive. In this rapidly evolving industry landscape, bringing aboard a visible and respected leader of his caliber underscores our commitment to remaining at the forefront of technology and digital operations.”
Ballard most recently served as senior vice president of enterprise services of Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services. Prior to joining Ladenburg, Ballard served as president and chief operating officer for Docupace Technologies. Ballard was previously the executive vice president and chief operating officer at Cetera Financial Group and held management positions at several firms in the independent financial advisory and asset management industries, including AIG Advisor Group, SunAmerica Mutual Funds and AIG Retirement Services.
July 13, 2020
Smoore Stock Soars After Hong Kong IPO
The share price of Smoore increased significantly after its launch on the Hong Kong Exchange last week. After an initial public offering of HKD12.40 ($1.60) per share, the stock closed at HKD31 on Friday.
“As the global leader in offering vaping technology solutions, Smoore’s mission is to build the world’s leading vaping technology platform to bolster the innovation and development of vaping technology with a wide range of applications,” said Smoore spokesperson Cloris Li.
“In the next three to four years, Smoore plans to invest more in improving production capacity and upgrading equipment, including setting up new manufacturing facilities and research institute of group level as well as installing automated production lines and IT equipment.”
According to Frost & Sullivan, a business consulting firm, Smoore is the world’s largest vapor device manufacturer in terms of revenue, accounting for 16.5 percent of the total market share in 2019.
“In the past 14 years, we have been firmly grounded to focus on advanced R&D technology, strong manufacturing capacity, wide-spectrum product portfolio and diverse customer base. We are glad about what we have achieved and will take this as a new start,” said Li.
The Shenzhen-based company offered 574 million shares, according to the company’s prospectus, and had indicated the stock would be priced between HKD9.60 and HKD12.40 per share.
“After being listed on the Hong Kong stock market, Smoore is probably going to be able to invest more in the R&D and application of heating technology, for instance, in the medical atomization arena,” said Li. “Meanwhile, we are able to better serve our clients and provide a better life for our employees. As a leader in this field, Smoore is also able to play a more important role in shaping the industry and the whole of society.”
July 13, 2020
Cerulean Partners With Sirius Automation

Photo: Cerulean
Cerulean is partnering with Sirius Automation of Buffalo Grove Illinois, USA, a specialist in the design, development and manufacture of high-quality laboratory automation equipment and solutions.
Ian TIndall
Sirius Automation and Cerulean will collaborate on the supply and marketing of integrated solutions for laboratory automation around the globe. The partnership compliments Cerulean’s existing product offerings and improves the company’s ability to provide leading edge, innovative laboratory automation solutions.
“This partnership between Cerulean and Sirius Automation is fantastic news for our customers, who can now benefit from a wider range of laboratory automation products and solutions,” said Ian Tindall, Cerulean head of innovation and marketing.
July 13, 2020
Kazakhstan Tightens Tobacco Law

Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive
Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on July 8 signed into law comprehensive tobacco control measures to protect Kazakhstanis against the health and economic consequences of tobacco consumption.
The Health Act treats all nicotine products, including e-cigarettes and heated tobacco devices, as tobacco products. Smokeless tobacco products are banned altogether.
It prohibits point-of-sale displays and expands the list of smoke-free places to outdoor playgrounds, underground walkways, transit areas and cars with children. The legislation also prohibits new products in smoke-free places and increases fines for violators.
The new law increases the size of pictorial warning labels from 50 to 65 percent of the display areas and raises the legal age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21.
Manufacturers will be required to disclose the contents of all products containing nicotine.

July 10, 2020