Category: Heat-Not-Burn

Imperial Launches HnB Products in Czechia

Photo: Imperial Brands
Imperial Brands has launched its heated-tobacco products in the Czech Republic.
The launch is the first of two planned European pilot trials for the company’s Pulze device and iD heat sticks.
Imperial is investing in heated-tobacco opportunities in a focused number of markets in Europe as part of its new strategy to build a targeted and sustainable next-generation product (NGP) business.
The Czech pilot is the first step in Imperial’s approach of entering markets where the category is already established and where the business is able to leverage an existing strong route to market.
“Heated-tobacco offers significant growth opportunities in Europe where, in many territories, it is the biggest NGP category and the fastest growing,” said Joerg Biebernick, Imperial Brands’ president of the European region, in a statement. “Detailed market testing will allow us to quickly expand our consumer insights and inform the potential to launch validated heated-tobacco products in further European markets.”
Heated-tobacco currently accounts for around 10 percent of the total nicotine sector in the Czech Republic, with further strong growth anticipated.
The Pulze device heats rather than burns iD heat sticks to provide nicotine and tobacco aromas containing fewer and substantially lower levels of the harmful chemicals found in cigarette smoke.
Unlike other heated-tobacco products, the Pulze device does not require a charging case, offering up to 20 consecutive uses. It is available in copper and silver colors.
iD heat sticks are being made available in five flavors: Rich Bronze with rich tobacco flavor and triple flow filter technology, Balanced Blue, Mint Polar Green, Mint Ice and Capsule Polar.
September 1, 2021
PMI Launches Bladeless IQOS in Japan

Photo: Kuznietsov Dmitriy
Philip Morris International has launched IQOS Iluma, the brand’s first tobacco-heating system based on induction-heating technology, in Japan.
The device’s Smartcore induction system heats the tobacco from within the new Terea Smartcore Stick. These newly designed sticks are to be used only with IQOS Iluma, which features an auto-start function that detects when the Terea stick is inserted and automatically turns on the device.
According to PMI, the bladeless IQOS devices offer a cleaner way to heat tobacco from the core without burning it. They also provide a more consistent experience and leave no tobacco residue, eliminating the need to clean the device. Additionally, the devices generate no combustion and no smoke. PMI says its market research indicates that IQOS Iluma provides a more pleasurable experience compared to previous IQOS generations.
“IQOS Iluma is our most innovative offering to date and the new flagship in our portfolio of science-backed, smoke-free products. Its breakthrough induction-heating technology heats tobacco from within, without burning, so there’s no smoke, no ash and, like previous IQOS devices, it emits, on average, 95 percent lower levels of harmful chemicals compared with cigarettes,” said Michele Cattoni, vice president of heated-tobacco platforms at PMI, in a statement.
“However, unlike our previous tobacco-heating systems, IQOS Iluma has no blade. That means no tobacco residue or cleaning—ever. With this, and other product features, we aim to address consumer pain points that may have hindered some adult smokers from beginning or maintaining their journey away from cigarettes in the past.”
IQOS Iluma is available in two versions—IQOS Iluma Prime and IQOS Iluma. Both devices use new induction-heating technology but offer different designs. IQOS Iluma Prime and IQOS Iluma are available in Japan for pre-order on IQOS.com beginning Aug. 17, 2021, and for purchase at IQOS stores on Aug. 18, 2021.
As of June 30, 2021, PMI’s smoke-free products are available in 67 markets. The company has stated its ambition to be present in 100 markets with its smoke-free products by 2025. There are more than 20 million users of the IQOS tobacco-heating system globally, and PMI estimates that more than 73 percent (approximately 14.7 million) of these men and women have switched completely to IQOS and stopped smoking with the balance in various stages of switching. PMI’s ambition is that by 2025, at least 40 million PMI cigarette smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke will have switched to smoke-free products. Furthermore, the company’s ambition is that more than half of its net revenues will come from smoke-free products by 2025.
August 17, 2021
Heated Tobacco Exempted from Ban

Photo: niyazz
Mexico’s Supreme Court has ruled that heated-tobacco products (HTPs) will be exempted from a February 2020 presidential decree that bans importation of electronic nicotine-delivery systems (ENDS), reports Filter.
Prior to the on July 16 ruling, manufacturers were able to import and sell HTPs legally using a loophole in the law called “habeas corpus trials.” But the loophole prevented the development of a fully regulated, legal market. The new presidential decree reverses that and allows for increased sales of these devices.
Vapor products that use e-liquids continue to be banned by the Mexican government. According to Roberto Sussman, a researcher at the National University of Mexico and president of Pro-Vapeo Mexico, the vapor market in Mexico has been functioning since 2009 as part of the huge informal economy, which employs more than 50 percent of the workforce, and it is illegal but not criminal.

It was an embarrassment for President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has expressed opposition to foreign NGOs and agents meddling with Mexican government regulations.
Roberto Sussman, president, Po-Vapeo Mexico
More than 1.2 million Mexicans—1 percent of the adult population—use vapor products somewhat regularly, according to a survey by the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction.
According to Filter, a fatal blow to the HTP ban came when it was leaked that the draft of the decree was written by a lawyer working for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
“It was an embarrassment for President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has expressed opposition to foreign NGOs and agents meddling with Mexican government regulations,” said Roberto Sussman.
It’s not the first time Mexico’s Supreme Court intervened in the country’s drug policy. On June 28, it stepped in to legalize marijuana after lawmakers had failed to finalize the legislation the court demanded three years earlier.
July 23, 2021
Japan Tobacco Launches Ploom X

Photo: JT/JTI
Japan Tobacco is launching Ploom X, its next-generation heated-tobacco device, on Aug. 17, 2021. Ploom X will gradually be made available across Japan, including in convenience stores and select tobacco retail stores. Ploom X will also be available for pre-launch sale at the Club JT online shop from July 26, 2021.
The device was jointly developed by JT in Japan and JTI, the group’s international subsidiary headquartered in Switzerland.
“Ploom X is the first global device developed by JT and JTI, bringing together all our resources to offer the best user experience of our time,” said Daniel Torras, senior vice president of reduced-risk products, in a statement.
“We are delighted to be able to offer this new innovative product to adult consumers in Japan, the world’s leading heated-tobacco market and where product standards and quality are of the highest importance. Listening to consumers globally, we have created a proposition that is aligned with today’s lifestyles and choices. This includes a more authentic tobacco taste, new connectivity possibilities and several options to personalize the device to everyday needs.”

Ploom X is the first global device developed by JT and JTI, bringing together all our resources to offer the best user experience of our time.
Daniel Torras, senior vice president of reduced-risk products, JTI
The new device adopts the aesthetic and innovative “Nastro” design with a more intuitive user experience, with no buttons on its surface. In addition to allowing users to precisely control heating temperature, Ploom X is equipped with a new heating technology, Heatflow, which focuses on airflow.
Ploom X is also equipped with Bluetooth functionalities that connect with users’ smartphones, enable consumers to see the battery status, lock the device and much more.
Along with the device, improved heated-tobacco sticks are being rolled out. The regular tobacco stick flavor is blended with lamina, the most aromatic part of the tobacco leaf. There is a range of 12 different heated-tobacco sticks.
July 15, 2021
PMI Details Views on Heated Tobacco

Photo: nagornyisergiy
Philip Morris International has published an overview of governments’ perspectives on heated-tobacco products on its website.
The piece touches on the situation in the United States, where the Food and Drug Administration in July 2020 granted modified-risk orders with reduced exposure information for the company’s IQOS system, and that in the United Kingdom, where Public Health England (PHE) releases a regular report on the evidence behind cigarette alternatives.
The fourth such PHE review, published in February 2018, included information on heated-tobacco products. The agency found that heated-tobacco products are likely to expose users and bystanders to lower levels of particulate matter and harmful and potentially harmful compounds than traditional products.
PMI looked at the situation in other countries too.
In Germany, the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment has analyzed the aerosol of IQOS tobacco-heating system and found reductions in selected toxicants compared to cigarette smoke. The study states that while further studies are required to address the magnitude of exposure reduction, the measured reductions “lead to the relevant questions of putatively reduced health risks.”
The Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport in 2018 concluded that “The use of heatsticks with the IQOS is harmful to health but probably less harmful than smoking tobacco cigarettes” based on its aerosol chemistry measurements.
In April 2020, the Superior Council of Health in Belgium confirmed that the in vitro and in vivo studies show reduced exposure to harmful products and, subsequently, reduced subchronic toxicity after exposure to heated-tobacco products relative to conventional cigarettes.
A study by the Japanese Department of Environmental Health concluded that “The concentration levels of hazardous compounds in the mainstream smoke of IQOS are much lower than those in conventional combustion cigarettes.”
The Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) issued a statement on products that heat rather than burn tobacco based on measurements performed in its own laboratories of three heat-not-burn (HnB) products, including IQOS.
The MFDS results confirm significant reductions of harmful and potentially harmful constituents in HnB products compared to cigarettes—but doesn’t discuss them. Instead, MFDS mentions that HnB products also contain carcinogens, like benzopyrene and benzene. What it fails to mention is that the levels measured are more than 10 times lower compared to the levels present in cigarette smoke, according to PMI. The company’s public comment on the MFDS statement is available here.
July 14, 2021
Milestone Study

Photos: BAT
A long-term, randomized, controlled trial of BAT’s glo tobacco-heating product lends credibility to the harm reduction potential of the entire category.
By Oliver Porritt
A landmark new clinical study has shown that the health risks of cigarette smoking may be reduced in smokers who completely switch to using tobacco-heating products (THPs).
The research, carried out by BAT, analyzed the changes in a range of biomarkers of exposure (BoE) and biomarkers of potential harm (BoPH). These biomarkers are linked to oxidative stress, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and cancer, and they were used to compare the potential long-term effects of smoking cigarettes versus THPs and cessation.
Published in the Journal Internal and Emergency Medicine, the results suggest that smokers who switch from cigarettes to exclusive use of BAT’s flagship THP, glo, may benefit from a similar reduction in the risk of developing a number of smoking-related diseases as those who stopped smoking entirely.
To find out more about the study and its implications, Tobacco Reporter caught up with BAT’s director of scientific research, David O’Reilly, whose team led the work.

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Speaking from Liverpool, where he was attending this year’s Global Forum on Nicotine (GFN), O’Reilly said the paper represented a significant moment for both his company and the product category as a whole. “This is a milestone event because this groundbreaking study is the first time the world has seen a successful long-term, randomized, controlled trial of any tobacco-heating product. Until now, no one else has been able to demonstrate over a sustained period that when you switch from cigarette smoking to exclusive use of a THP like glo, the biomarkers of potential harm are reduced to levels similar to that of cessation. This study was long in the planning, and it required careful execution, but when we reviewed the results, we were delighted,” said O’Reilly.
“The biomarkers of exposure go down rapidly, so we weren’t expecting to see any substantial improvements between the positive results we published in an earlier paper, featuring our three-month data, and what we found at six months. But with BoPH, you need to conduct longer studies for beneficial changes to occur. That’s why the six-month data was more important to us than either the three month or even the twelve month time slots. In fact, we aren’t really expecting it to change significantly beyond this point. By the time you get to six months, the cohorts have stabilized in their BoPH. We would anticipate that the 12-month data will provide further validation of this set of results, but the halfway point is therefore absolutely pivotal in this year-long study, and we are very pleased with what we’ve seen,” O’Reilly noted.

While this study focused on our flagship THP, glo, we would be the first to say that this research also importantly supports the category of tobacco-heating products as a whole.
David O’Reilly, director of scientific research, BAT
“Every one of the studies we’ve done on glo, and indeed the work we’ve carried out on our other platforms, is important because they all add to the evidence base for these products, further demonstrating that, while they are not risk-free and are addictive, they are reduced risk if individuals quit smoking and move to them completely. But some types of evidence carry more weight than others, and a long-term, clinical, randomized, controlled study assessing BoPH carries a lot of weight indeed.
“I think this study, along with many others that we and others have published, also adds to the evidence that tobacco harm reduction should be adopted as a tobacco control and public health policy because it’s likely to contribute to the reduction in morbidity and mortality from cigarette smoking.”
He added, “This has been a very successful project, but we have also learned a lot of things that we’ll take into our upcoming studies. Over the next three years, we have around 30 clinical trials planned, and we anticipate that in the future these could be executed in a shorter time period. This is really important because the sooner we obtain this kind of data, the sooner we can engage with external stakeholders and give governments and consumers the confidence that for smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke, switching to these products is a positive thing to do.”

This clinical study was carried out at four sites in the U.K. (Belfast, London, Leeds and Merthyr Tydfil). The participants were healthy smokers or never-smokers of both sexes, aged 23–55, who could go about their day-to-day lives, visiting a clinic just once a month for samples, including blood and urine, to be collected.
The volunteer smokers who did not want to quit were randomly selected to either continue smoking their usual brand of cigarettes or switch to the exclusive use of glo for the duration of the study. A control group of smokers who did want to quit smoking was offered nicotine-replacement therapy (NRT) and/or varenicline provision if requested, together with cessation counselling, while the never-smokers acted as a control. Across these four groups, a total of 339 participants completed the study to six months.
Various BoE and BoPH were assessed at baseline and monthly up to 180 days (six months), and this paper presents the results at the halfway point of the full 12-month study. The use of BoPH, in particular, gives researchers the ability to assess the potential health risks of novel tobacco products in the absence of long-term epidemiological evidence. These newer products have simply not been around long enough to evaluate their impact on clinical outcomes such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. These are conditions that can take decades to develop, but BoPH can provide crucial indicators for these events. Indeed, according to the Institute of Medicine’s 2001 report Clearing the Smoke, BoPH are defined as the “measurement of an effect due to exposure; these include early biological effects, alterations in morphology, structure or function, and clinical symptoms consistent with harm.”
The data from this study show that while the BoE and BoPH remained stable between baseline and six months for the group who continued to smoke, the levels of most BoE reduced significantly for the users of glo, becoming similar to those of the control groups who abstained from cigarette smoking.
More importantly, for those participants who exclusively switched to glo, the following BoPH also saw a favorable change versus continued cigarette smoking: HDL, WBC, FEV1%pred, sICAM, 11-dTx B2, 8-epi-PGF, FeNO and NNAL, and, with the exception of FeNO and NNAL, these changes were comparable to cessation.

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To make sure these results were both reliable and meaningful, the team at BAT told participants about the importance of exclusively using the products they had been assigned, for both the cigarette and glo groups, or abstaining from any nicotine products, other than NRT, in the quitting or never-smoker cohorts. But to ensure the glo users were not smoking cigarettes during the study, the clinics also measured a compound called CEVal. This is a hemoglobin adduct of acrylonitrile (N(2cyanoethyl) valine and, as it is only found in cigarette smoke, O’Reilly says it proved to be a very useful biomarker of compliance.

“In these longer-term studies,” he said, “one of the main challenges has always been knowing whether or not the smokers who have either quit smoking or switched to your test product are compliant because if they’re not, it dilutes the effect of switching in the study and the potential long-term harm reduction associated with switching. To encourage smokers to switch to noncombustible products, you need to have really reliable clinical evidence showing that a complete switch is likely to reduce the risks of developing smoking-related diseases as long as they successfully stay with the product and don’t return to smoking.
“So another breakthrough of this study is the fact we can now use CEVal to ensure compliance among our study participants. Indeed, more people were compliant in this study than we expected, and it is possible that was at least partly down to the fact they were told we would be using CEVal. So going forward, we think CEVal is a really useful tool that we are contributing to the scientific community, and we would recommend others to use it in their future studies to ensure compliance.”

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O’Reilly also said that while this study’s findings were an important step forward, they represented just one aspect of BAT’s stated ambition to build “A Better Tomorrow.” “Our purpose is to reduce the health impact of our business,” he said, “and we are doing that with our product portfolio transformation. So, while this study is part of a broader evidence base for glo, at the same time we’re publishing studies relating to our vaping product, Vuse, and our modern oral product, Velo.
“And while this study focused on our flagship THP, glo, we would be the first to say that this research also importantly supports the category of tobacco-heating products as a whole, and when we’ve completed similar studies on Velo and Vuse, those bodies of evidence will support each of the categories of vaping and modern oral. It’s a really important philosophy at BAT that we build trust in these categories, and that’s not just for our products and brands. With all the current transformation in the tobacco and nicotine landscape, perceptions are changing, but there’s still a long way to go. So I think the fact this study should not just be about one product, but the whole category, is a really important message.”

Oliver Porritt is freelance editorial contributor to Tobacco Reporter. Previously, he worked in the science communications department at BAT.
July 1, 2021
Revolutionary HnB Device Set for Launch

Photo: Podya Lifestyle and Wellness
After six years of development, Poda Lifestyle and Wellness is ready to bring its revolutionary heat-not-burn (HnB) product to the masses, according to company founder and CEO Ryan Selby. In a letter to shareholders, Selby detailed the company’s recent accomplishments and shared his plans.
Poda was founded in January 2015 with the vision of creating a superior HnB product. The company set out to address a major pain-point in all HnB systems: cleaning. After six years of designing and perfecting the technology, it came up with a product that delivers a robust, flavorful and consistent user experience, according to Selby. “Poda is now essentially the only company in the world that can make a closed-ended HnB cigarette,” he says. Its Beyond Burn pods have been patented in more than 65 countries.
In addition, the company developed a heat-tolerant biodegradable material made from the cell walls of sustainably harvested plants. “This naturally derived and low-cost material allows us to produce our patented Beyond Burn Poda Pods not only incredibly efficiently but also in an ethical and sustainable manner,” says Selby. Poda has filed for patent protection for the proprietary biodegradable plant cellulose materials used to make its closed-ended HnB cigarettes and the proprietary methods for manufacturing them.
The company’s tobacco-free Beyond Burn Poda Pods contain a proprietary blend of tea leaves and synthetic nicotine that delivers the satisfaction and sensory experience of ordinary smoking without the smoke and without the cleaning.
Recently, Poda executed a binding letter of intent with ESON with the intent of launching its products in China. Earlier this month, tobacco industry veteran Juan Manuel (“Jon”) Ruiz joined Poda’s strategic advisory board. A key top-level executive at Philip Morris International, Ruiz was around during the time when PMI was internally developing its heat-not-burn products. “The experience and expertise that Jon brings from the fast-moving consumer goods market is of exceptional value to Poda,” said Selby.

We are now ready to scale our production capacities to virtually any production volume.
Ryan Selby, CEO, Poda
Less than two months ago, Poda listed its shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange and the Frankfurt Securities Exchange, and the company is currently waiting for final approval to have its shares listed on the OTCQB exchange in the U.S. Down the road, the company aims to “uplist” to the NASDAQ and other major global exchanges, according to Selby.
Meanwhile, Poda’s pilot manufacturing plant is fully operational and is turning out over 400,000 closed-ended HnB cigarette units per month. “We built this pilot facility to prove out each of our manufacturing technologies, and I am pleased to report that we are now ready to scale our production capacities to virtually any production volume,” said Selby.
Over the coming months, Poda will be aggressively pursuing distribution and white-labelling opportunities with carefully selected partners in strategic locations around the globe.
“As CEO, it is my responsibility to lead Poda toward our goal of becoming a major player in the global heat-not-burn market,” said Selby. “I know we have a fantastic product, but that on its own is not enough. We must make smart choices and take calculated risks to grow the company as quickly and sustainably as possible.”
June 9, 2021
Poda Patents Closed-Ended HnB Cigarette

Photo: Poda Lifestyle and Wellness
Poda Lifestyle and Wellness expects to receive patent protection for its Poda zero-cleaning heat-not-burn (HnB) technology in Europe and the United States soon.
The Poda system uses proprietary biodegradable single-use pods. The design prevents cross-contamination between the heating devices and the pods, eliminating cleaning requirements and providing users with a convenient and enjoyable potentially reduced-risk smoking experience.
The company says its pods are the first and only cigarettes to have a completely closed end. A closed-ended cigarette utilizing HnB heating technology allows for an ashless experience and provides for consistent quality each time a new pod is inserted into the heating device.
Poda Lifestyle and Wellness’ research and development commenced in January 2015. The Poda zero-cleaning technology was granted a Canadian patent in 2018 with patent entries filed in more than 65 additional countries.
“We have spent years of research and development with regards to our invention and are very pleased to see that our invention has been granted a patent in Canada,” said Poda CEO Ryan Selby in a statement.
“We have filed for patents in 65 other countries and expect USA and European patents to follow in short order now that we have received the Canadian patent.”
We have spent years of R&D and are very pleased to see that our invention has been granted a patent in Canada.
Ryan Selby , CEO, Poda
“This will protect our company for many years ahead as we launch Poda into the global marketplace as the first heat-not-burn system that allows users to experience maintenance-free heating of substrates such as tobacco or dried plant material with zero cross-contamination when switching from one substrate to another.”
May 26, 2021
Study: HnB No Less Harmful Than Cigarettes

Photo: Kuznietsov Dmitriy
The impact on lung cells of heat-not-burn (HnB) tobacco products may be no less harmful than that of conventional cigarettes, according to the authors of a small comparative study published by Thorax.
HnB products contain nicotine and tobacco but have been marketed by the tobacco industry as a less harmful alternative to conventional cigarettes on the grounds that they don’t produce specific harmful chemicals that are released when tobacco burns.
Smoking heightens the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, peripheral artery disease and abdominal aortic aneurysm because it has a role in all stages of artery hardening and blockage. And it causes emphysema and pulmonary hypertension because it contributes to the damage of blood vessels in the lungs.
Specifically, it contributes to endothelial dysfunction—whereby the lining of small and large blood vessels becomes abnormal, causing arteries to constrict instead of dilating or blood vessels to become more inflamed; oxidative stress—an excess of harmful cellular byproducts; platelet activation—creation of “sticky” blood; and plaque development that can block arteries.
The researchers wanted to find out if these effects could also be observed in people who used HnB products.
So they compared endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress and platelet activation in 20 nonsmokers (average age 28), 20 long-term conventional cigarette smokers (average age 27), and 20 long-term users of HnB products (average age 33).
The conventional smokers had been puffing away for an average of 3.5 years, getting through 13 sticks a day; the HnB users had been getting through around 11 products every day for an average of 5 years.
The findings showed that compared with not smoking, long-term use of HnB products was associated with reduced endothelial function and increased oxidative stress and platelet activation.
And there were no significant differences between conventional cigarette smokers and users of HnB products.
This is an observational study, so it can’t establish cause. And the researchers acknowledge several limitations to their findings.
These include the small numbers of study participants involved, the lack of random allocation to each group and the inability to confirm that a participant wasn’t a dual user of both conventional cigarettes and HnB products.
If confirmed by other large studies, these findings could provide evidence to strongly discourage nonsmokers to start using [HnB products].
Lorenzo Loffredo, et al.
Nevertheless, they conclude, “If confirmed by other large studies, these findings could provide evidence to strongly discourage nonsmokers to start using [HnB products] and to encourage [conventional cigarette] smokers to quit smoking.” In a second linked study, a team of researchers assessed whether the use of HnB products helped Japanese workers to give up tobacco for good.
They offered a smoking cessation program to 158 users of conventional cigarettes (94) alone and/or HnB products (64) between November 2018 and April 2019.
The workplace program included prescription varenicline or nicotine-replacement therapy (NRT), counseling and information about stopping smoking.
The quit rate was logged in August 2019, when 45 (29 percent) of the workers had successfully stopped using all tobacco products.
Those who availed themselves of pharmacological support were more likely to quit than those who didn’t (67 percent vs. 11 percent) as were those who received counseling (69 percent vs. 21 percent).
Analysis of the results showed that people who used varenicline or NRT were three times more likely to stop smoking tobacco than those who didn’t.
But those who either used HnB products alone or in addition to conventional cigarettes (dual users) were 23 percent less likely than exclusive cigarette smokers to give up tobacco altogether, after accounting for age, tobacco dependence, previous quit attempts and use of pharmacological support.
This, too, is an observational study, and the researchers acknowledge that their study was small and restricted to healthy men in just one workplace. Smoking status was also self-reported and assessed at a single time point, and successful quitters weren’t asked how long they had stopped using tobacco.
But they point out that those who used HnB products in their study did so because they thought they were less harmful than conventional cigarettes.
“It is possible that the rhetorical phrases by tobacco industries attract and make consumers misunderstand that changing from cigarettes to [HnB products] can provide a healthier environment for themselves and their surroundings,” they suggest.
“Although [HnB products] are misunderstood to be less harmful, they expose users and bystanders to toxicants, and the evidence does not show that [they] will reduce tobacco-related diseases,” they add.
“Given that [HnB products] undermine cessation among smokers without providing health benefits, [they] should not be recommended for any purpose,” they conclude.
In a linked editorial covering both research papers, Professor Irina Petrache of National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, and Esther de Boer of University of Colorado agree.
“[Both] reports provide impetus to conduct larger randomized validating studies and to assess the impact of [HnB products] on additional health parameters. Their work enriches the mounting evidence that [HnB products] are not safer than [conventional cigarettes], suggesting that any tobacco use should be strongly discouraged,” they write.
April 22, 2021
Report Explores China’s Tobacco-Heating Market

Photo: David Mark from Pixabay
Research and Markets has published a new report on the world’s largest potential market for heat-not-burn (HnB) products—China.
The report provides an overview of China National Tobacco Corp. (CNTC) subsidiaries’ HnB marketing activities from 2017 to 2020.
The report reviews all HnB products that were officially released in domestic and foreign markets as well as cooperation ties in the Chinese HnB market.
China Tobacco has a market of 300 million smokers with a significant part being active HnB users. The domestic HnB sector is dominated by CNTC. It has launched HnB products in Sichuan, Yunnan, Guangdong, Anhui, Hubei, Heilongjiang and other provinces and has been actively engaged in overseas markets. CNTC HnB brands are presented in many foreign markets, mostly in Asian countries and eastern Europe.
Most HnB devices are promoted with dedicated consumables. HnB devices are either produced at facilities of CNTC subsidiaries or are OEM versions developed by third-party manufacturers. The CNTC subsidiaries with the largest number of HnB devices in the domestic market are based in Sichuan, Yunnan and Guangdong.
The report includes a brief review of HnB electronic devices produced in cooperation with major Chinese hardware manufacturers. There is also a brief description of companies engaged in the Chinese HnB market, and a complete list of HnB products with release dates and corresponding references in domestic and foreign markets, a map of presence of CNTC HnB brands in foreign markets and a timeline of CNTC HnB products by release date.
April 21, 2021