Category: Featured

Elf Bar Removing Some Flavors from U.K.

Image: Tobacco Reporter archive
Vaping brands Elf Bar and Lost Mary will remove dessert, candy and soft drink flavored disposable vapor products from the U.K. market, according to Vaping360.
The brands make up more than half of the U.K.’s disposable vape sales, according to data firm NielsenIQ. They are owned by the Chinese firm Shenzhen iMiracle Technology, and it is unclear if the Chinese company will remove these flavors from other markets.
Elf Bar has already ended U.K. sales of Bubble Gum and Cotton Candy flavors and renamed Gummy Bear “Gami,” according to the BBC.
The decision is meant to help curb claims that the popular vapes are marketed to youth following a panic over youth vaping that has seen an uptick in the past couple years.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak proposed changes to the vaping laws in October. There is currently a public consultation to determine what actions to take.
“The introduction of such a regime would mitigate children’s access to vapes and make it easier for the authorities to regulate the sale of vaping devices better. Furthermore, we believe it would help combat the growing illicit vape market and drive increased rates of vape recycling,” an Elf Bar spokesman said.
Clive Bates of The Counterfactual questioned whether the move would silence the company’s critics. “Their detractors will take it as an in-principle admission of culpability and then build outward from that principle,” he said.
December 1, 2023
Filtrona Launches Cannabis Division

Photo: yellowj
Filtrona has launched Cannatrona, a dedicated division serving the cannabis and hemp market.
The Cannatrona business supplies filter tips, mouthpieces and pre-roll solutions for cannabis and hemp products, alongside scientific services.
“The cannabis and hemp industry is seeing rapid expansion, but the regulatory landscape is also shifting at speed,” said Filtrona CEO Robert Pye in a statement. “What businesses in this field need is a partner with a proven track record of quality, innovation, brand development and compliance, and that’s exactly what Cannatrona offers. With the company’s launch, we’re looking to propel the sector to even greater heights in a transformative and meaningful way.”
“In any growing market, new businesses can be found all along the supply chain,” said Jeni Sperry, head of new business development at Cannatrona. “However, Cannatrona has something that the rest don’t, and that’s the century-long experience of Filtrona, one of the world’s leading special filter brands. For cannabis and hemp product innovators, we’re not just introducing filter tip and mouthpiece products to the market, we’re bringing expertise, innovation and a very bright future.”
December 1, 2023
France Unveils Plans to Curb Smoking

Photo: Richard-Villalon
France will increase tobacco taxes, ban disposable vapes and further restrict outdoor smoking as part of an ambitious plan to reduce the health impact of tobacco consumption and create a “tobacco-free” generation by 2032, a term that is usually defined as a situation in which less than 5 percent of the population smokes.
Smoking rates in France have remained roughly unchanged since 2019 after decades of regularly declining, according to French public health authorities. Nearly a quarter of French adults, or about 12 million people, still smoke daily. Smoking is the leading cause of avoidable mortality in France, causing about 75,000 deaths per year.
Some 15 percent of teenagers have vaped, and 47 percent of them started their nicotine consumption through e-cigarettes, according to an ACT Alliance Contre Le Tabac survey published in November.
The government plan bans smoking on beaches, near public buildings like schools and in public parks and forests next year. Previously, local authorities had already barred people from smoking at more than 7,000 outdoor locations, including at beaches, forests and parks across the country, but there was no nationwide ban.
The government also wants to extend the plain packaging requirement for cigarette packs to vaping products and set a minimum tobacco price of €13 ($14) per pack.
Health Minister Aurelien Rousseau said the government will enact most measures by degree early next year. The ban on disposable vapes, however, will require legislation that is expected to go to Parliament in December.
While welcoming France’s ambition to end smoking, tobacco harm reduction activists expressed concern about the planned ban on single-use vapes, which they described as a step backward in the fight against smoking.
“Such prohibitions only serve to drive consumers either back to smoking or to black markets,” said Michael Landl, director of the World Vapers Alliance, in a statement.
“We’ve seen time and again that prohibition doesn’t work. France should look to countries like Sweden, where a balanced approach to harm reduction has led to significant public health gains. The French government must recognize the importance of offering a variety of less harmful alternatives to smokers.”
November 30, 2023
Malaysia Passes Watered-Down Bill

Image: PX Media
Malaysia’s lower house of Parliament has passed the Control of Smoking Products and Public Health Bill without the controversial generational endgame (GEG) clause, reports the New Straits Times.
The legislation regulates advertisements, packaging and smoke-free places but excludes a provision that would have made it illegal for Malaysians born after 2007 to buy or consume nicotine products.
Health Minister Zaliha Mustafa said the GEG was dropped due to constitutional concerns. The Attorneys General Chambers had warned that the proposal contravenes Article 8 of Malaysia’s constitution, as it creates unequal treatment before the law between persons born before Jan. 1, 2007, and individuals born after the date.
Critics blamed Malaysia’s U-turn on tobacco lobbying.
Zaliha insisted that any shortcomings in the bill could be improved over time.
November 30, 2023
Butts Pollution Costs $26 Billion: Study

Photo: Funkenzauber
The costs of environmental pollution caused by plastics in cigarette butts and packaging amount to an estimated $26 billion every year in waste management and marine ecosystem damage worldwide, according to a data analysis published online in Tobacco Control.
To gauge the global economic toll of tobacco waste, Deborah K. Sy of the Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control in Bangkok drew on public data sources for cigarette sales, cleanup costs and plastic waste on land and sea.
The average weight of each plastic filter is 3.4 grams. As cigarette butts are often littered along with plastic packaging, which weighs an average 19 grams for a standard pack size of 20 cigarettes, this was also included in the calculations.
The researcher estimated the annual projections of the environmental and economic costs of tobacco plastic based on the tonnage. Ten-year projections were included because cigarette butts are reported to take 10 years to degrade.
The total figure reflects cost estimates of cleanup and disposal (adjusted for inflation) of the total plastic generated by filtered cigarette sales potentially ending up as waste in the sea, landfills or in the environment.
Sy estimated that the annual economic cost of cigarette plastic waste is around $26 billion, made up of $20.7 billion in marine ecosystem damage and $5 billion in waste management costs, adding up to $186 billion over 10 years.
The costs of tobacco product plastic pollution are likely highest in China, Indonesia, Japan, Bangladesh and the Philippines, the estimates suggest.
The research was funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
November 30, 2023
Russia to Criminalize E-liquid Trafficking

Photo: diy7
Traffickers of illegal vape liquids could face up to seven years in prison in Russia if a proposal by the Committee of the Federation Council on Economic Policy becomes law, reports AIF.
Lawmakers are concerned about the ingredients in illegal vapes, which evade regulatory scrutiny.
Anatoly Vyborny, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Security and Anti-Corruption, supported the provision, saying that the measure would help protect the health of young Russians.
Currently, in Russia, there is no criminal liability for the illegal import of vaporizers and e-liquids.
November 30, 2023
MRTP Renewal Filed for General Snus
On Nov. 30, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration filed for scientific review modified-risk tobacco product (MRTP) renewal applications submitted by Swedish Match USA for General Snus smokeless tobacco products, including:
General Loose;
General Dry Mint Portion Original Mini;
General Portion Original Large;
General Classic Blend Portion White Large, 12 count;
General Mint Portion White Large;
General Nordic Mint Portion White Large, 12 count;
General Portion White Large; and
General Wintergreen Portion White Large.
In 2019, the FDA issued modified-risk granted orders for eight smokeless tobacco products made by Swedish Match USA. These orders expire in 2024. To continue marketing the MRTPs after the authorized five-year term, the company submitted an MRTP renewal application to the FDA.
Starting Dec. 1, the public may submit comments on these applications on regulations.gov.
November 30, 2023
Malawi Approves Tobacco Law

Photo: Taco Tuinstra
Lawmakers in Malawi approved the Tobacco Industry Bill, which stipulates how stakeholders are supposed to operate, reports the Nyasa Times.
In addition to provisions on child labor and tenancy, the legislation includes clauses on traceability and the use of agrochemicals. Lawmakers hope the new rules will improve compliance and make it easier for Malawi to market its leaf around the world.
The Tobacco Industry Bill will also regulate contract and noncontract farming, tobacco production and delivery quota, and prices, along with disposal of tobacco stalks.
November 30, 2023
Menthol Ban Risks Alienating Voters: Poll

Photo: New Africa
A majority of U.S. President Joe Biden’s core voter base opposes the administration’s proposed ban on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, reports National Review, citing a poll by Cornell Belcher commissioned by Altria.
Biden’s core voter base is defined as minority voters or nonconservative white voters under the age of 45. Of this group, 54 percent oppose the proposed ban, with each battleground state showing a majority of opposition as well.
“Candidates risk alienating base supporters in battleground states by taking up a cause that most voters oppose and don’t believe to be important,” according to the poll.
Based on the poll, tobacco product bans are at the bottom of voters’ priority list when it comes to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration—opioid abuse, prescription medication and food safety are the top concerns.
“Biden’s core voters are simply not comfortable with the idea of prohibition as a government approach to tobacco,” Belcher’s polling memo says. The majority of voters (74 percent) prefer a harm reduction approach.
“With so many issues more pressing on voters’ minds—issues that voters actually agree with—these bans represent a very avoidable self-inflicted wound that could alienate base supporters in a battleground state,” the memo said. “Adult use of tobacco is far from a top-tier concern, and voters recognize there are more important matters for the president, Congress and the FDA to address. Candidates should not be taking up a cause that most voters oppose, that voters don’t believe to be important and that can get in the way of a campaign’s ability to mobilize supporters.”
The poll was conducted from Sept. 17 to Oct. 10 among 3,021 likely voters in Biden’s “core coalition.” Roughly 600 voters per battleground state were included in the poll.
November 29, 2023
Cessation Therapy Validated in Study

Image: Qnovia
Qnovia announced positive results from its first in-human study of QN-01, an inhaled smoking cessation therapy that is currently being evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) and the U.K.’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
“Today marks a pivotal milestone for Qnovia as we believe this data validates the clinical translation of our platform for the first time in patients,” said Qnovia CEO Brian Quigley.
“One of the reasons that quitting smoking is so challenging is that cigarettes provide a significant nicotine spike directly into the bloodstream within seconds. The challenge with current nicotine replacement therapies is that they fail to deliver nicotine quickly enough and at concentrations high enough to effectively alleviate a smoker’s withdrawal symptoms. Unfortunately, this leads to smokers relapsing, resulting in a significant unmet need for novel smoking cessation therapies.

We believe our nicotine delivery platform has the potential to solve this complex pharmacokinetic puzzle and could be a game changer in alleviating cravings and withdrawal symptoms for those smokers who need it most
Brian Quigley, CEO, Qnovia
“We believe our nicotine delivery platform has the potential to solve this complex pharmacokinetic puzzle and could be a game changer in alleviating cravings and withdrawal symptoms for those smokers who need it most,” said Quigley.
“We are delighted to share that QN-01 demonstrated a superior pharmacokinetic profile compared to an existing inhaled NRT and was well tolerated. We look forward to submitting our IND and CTA for QN-01 and advancing our clinical development program into Phase 1/2 clinical trials next year.”
The Phase 1 study was an open-label trial evaluating the delivery of QN-01 for three different nicotine dosing regimens to determine the pharmacokinetics and safety profile of Qnovia’s drug delivery platform in 12 healthy adults who currently smoke combustible cigarettes. Each adult received three different doses of treatment delivered on subsequent days after a washout period.
The study confirmed dose-dependent pharmacokinetics of QN-01 delivered with the Qnovia’s RespiRx device. The mean maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) was higher, and the time to achieve the maximum plasma concentration (Tmax) was lower for QN-01 across all three dose regimens, demonstrating superior pharmacokinetics compared to an existing inhaled nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). The drug-device combination was well tolerated with no severe adverse events and few minor adverse events typical of inhaled nicotine.

Highlights of Initial Phase 1 Pharmacokinetic and Safety Data
“We are pleased to see our platform being utilized for the first time in human clinical trials. We believe these results validate that we have identified an optimal Cmax for QN-01 that is higher than the currently available inhaled NRTs but lower than combustible cigarettes, thus enabling QN-01 to have optimal therapeutic efficacy while mitigating abuse liability potential,” said Mario Danek, Founder and chief technology officer of Qnovia.
“What makes our platform unique is that the RespiRx device utilizes a vibrating mesh nebulizer aerosol engine with zero heat to create an aerosol that can be inhaled by the smoker. Given our e-liquid drug product is not heated, there is no formation of thermal degradants or other toxicants during the aerosol generation process. As a result, our device platform is uniquely positioned to meet CDER’s safety standards. Looking ahead, we are committed to advancing QN-01 into the next stage of clinical development and will be working closely with FDA and MHRA to bring this treatment option to the millions of smokers who want to quit.”
November 29, 2023