The Finnish Medical Association says the import of snus should be banned in response to the proposal by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health working group on tobacco reduction, according to a report by the broadcaster YLE (Yleisradio Oy) relayed by the TMA.
In May, the working group that was tasked with reducing tobacco use in Finland proposed limiting daily imports from 1 kg to 100 grams.
“Selling snus is illegal in Finland. Therefore, it would be more logical to completely prohibit its import, instead of just reducing the allowed amount,” the FMA said.
However, the Finnish Shipowners’ Association argued that the proposed restrictions would decrease the revenues of ferries between Finland and Sweden, the only EU country where the sale of snus is legal, by €50 million annually.
Finland has a goal of phasing out all tobacco and nicotine products by 2030.
Other proposals to achieve this include increasing tobacco taxes and raising the limit of buying tobacco products from the current 18 years to 20 years.
Category: Other Tobacco Products
Half dead is quite unique
Devices vaporized
Philip Morris USA’s domestic cigarette shipment volume during the third quarter to the end of September, at 29,698 million, was 3.7 percent down on that of the third quarter of 2017, 30,828 million.
Marlboro volume was down by 3.2 percent to 25,611 million, while the volume of the company’s other premium brands was down by 6.0 percent to 1,473 million. Its discount-brand volume was down by 6.8 percent to 2,614 million.
In presenting its third-quarter and nine-month results, Altria said that industry-wide domestic cigarette volumes had declined by an estimated 4.5 percent during the third quarter. The 3.7 percent decline in PM USA’s shipments was said to have been driven primarily by the industry’s rate of decline and retail share losses, partially offset by trade inventory movements. When adjusted for trade inventory movements, shipments were said to have fallen by an estimated 5.0 percent.
Meanwhile, PM USA’s cigarette shipments during the first nine months of 2018, at 84,486 million, were down by 6.3 percent on those of the first nine months of 2017, 90,124 million.
Marlboro volume was down by 5.8 percent to 72,793 million, while the volume of the company’s other premium brands was down by 6.2 percent to 4,286 million. Its discount-brand volume was down by 10.2 percent to 7,407 million.
Altria reported that for the first nine months of 2018, industry-wide volumes had declined by an estimated 4.5 percent. The 6.3 percent decline in PM USA’s shipments was said to have been driven primarily by the industry’s rate of decline, retail share losses and trade inventory movements. When adjusted for trade inventory movements, shipments were said to have fallen by an estimated 5.5 percent.
PM USA’s domestic-market retail share during the three months to the end of September, at 50.1 percent, was down by 0.5 of a percentage point on that of the third quarter of 2017.
Marlboro’s market share was down by 0.1 of a percentage point to 43.1 percent, while the share of the company’s other premium brands was down by 0.1 of a percentage point to 2.6 percent, and the share of its discount brands was down by 0.3 of a percentage point to 4.4 percent.
Middleton’s cigar shipment volume during the first three months, at 411 million, was increased by 6.8 percent on that of the three months to the end of September 2017, 385 million, as Black & Mild volume rose by 7.1 percent to 408 million and other-cigar volume fell by 25 percent to three million.
USSTC’s domestic smokeless products shipment volume during the third quarter, at 213.4 million cans and packs, was increased by 0.4 percent on that of the three months to the end of September 2017, 212.6 million.
Shipments of Copenhagen and Skoal, taken together, were down by 0.2 percent to 195.4 million packs and cans, while shipments of other brands were increased by 6.5 percent to 18.0 million packs and cans.
USSTC’s retail share of the domestic smokeless products market during the three months to the end of September, at 54.1 percent, was increased by 0.1 of a percentage point.
The share of Copenhagen and Skoal, taken together, was unchanged at 50.7 percent, while the share of the company’s other brands increased by 0.1 of a percentage point to 3.4 percent.
Altria said that, in response to a request by the US Food and Drug Administration that it (and several other companies) address the issue of the use of e-vapor products by those underage, it was removing from the market its Nu Mark MarkTen Elite and Apex by MarkTen pod-based products until those products received a market order from the FDA or the youth issue was otherwise addressed.
‘For our remaining MarkTen and Green Smoke cig-a-like products, Nu Mark will sell only tobacco, menthol and mint varieties,’ Altria said. ‘Nu Mark will discontinue the sale of all other flavor variants of our cig-alike products until these products receive a market order from the FDA or the youth issue is otherwise addressed.’
In addition, Altria said it would support federal legislation to establish 21 as the minimum age to purchase any tobacco product [which in the US are taken to include e-cigarettes].
About 80 percent of Nu Mark’s e-vapor volume in the third-quarter of 2018 is expected to remain on the market after the removal of MarkTen Elite and Apex by MarkTen pod-based products and the discontinuation of the sale of flavor variants of Nu Mark’s cig-a-like products, other than tobacco, menthol and mint varieties.
PM USA is said to be ready to deploy its initial lead market plans for IQOS upon FDA authorization, while the FDA has accepted and filed for substantive scientific review USSTC’s modified risk tobacco product application for Copenhagen Snuff submitted by USSTC in the first quarter.
Altria’s 2017 third-quarter reported diluted earnings per share (EPS) were increased by 6.2 percent to $1.03 on those of the third quarter of 2017, while adjusted diluted EPS, which excludes the impact of special items, increased by 20.0 percent to $1.08.
“Altria delivered excellent third-quarter adjusted diluted earnings per share growth of 20 percent and continued to return large amounts of cash to our shareholders,” Howard Willard, Altria’s chairman and CEO, was quoted as saying.
“Our tobacco businesses are successfully executing against their strategies, while making strategic investments to drive long-term success.
“We believe our year-to-date performance positions us well to deliver on our full-year plans. As a result, we are tightening our guidance range to $3.95 to $4.03, representing a growth rate of 16.5 percent to 19 percent.”'Absolute ban' proposed
János Lázár, the Hungarian prime ministerʼs commissioner for protecting non-smokers, has said he will propose a complete ban on buying tobacco products for anyone born in Hungary after January 1, 2020, according to a story in The Budapest Business Journal citing the Hungarian news agency MTI.
Lázár, who headed the Prime Ministerʼs Office during the previous term of the governing Fidesz-KDNP alliance, was speaking at the Tobacco Hungary conference in Siófok.
He said Hungaryʼs basic law could be modified if necessary.
The absolute ban would aim at Hungary becoming “the first smoke-free country in the world,” he added.
In the meantime, the commissioner said he would propose banning smoking in vehicles and giving condominium communities greater freedom in restricting smoking.
However, Hungaryʼs Government Information Center (KTK) told MTI that the cabinet had not discussed the ban as Lázár had not officially submitted any such proposal.Strong revenue growth
British American Tobacco said today that it was continuing to deliver good market share gains against a backdrop where expectations remained unchanged for industry volume to be down around 3.5 percent for the full year.
‘In the US, we are performing well, with growing value share and pricing in line with expectations,’ BAT said in a note posted on its website. ‘US industry volume decline remains in line with historic ranges and is expected to be down around 4.0-4.5 percent for the full year, with a slight improvement in H2’
The company was delivering an update ahead of analyst and investor meetings during the ‘coming weeks’ in which it said it would discuss the progress of the business and the opportunities ahead.
Also as part of its update, BAT said its geographic expansion in respect of Tobacco Heating Products (THP) was continuing to progress well, with THP revenue expected to grow substantially. In Japan, where the THP category remained flat, glo’s share was now at 4.4 percent, up from 3.3 percent at the start of the year.
‘BAT’s global vapor business is expected to deliver double digit volume and constant currency revenue growth in 2018, on a representative basis, with Vuse in the US continuing to perform well driven by the launch of our pod-mod product, Alto, and the reintroduction of Vibe,’ the company said. ‘Vype continues to grow share, with ePen3 showing promising initial results in the UK and Canada
‘THP and vapor revenue is showing strong growth and is expected to reach £900 million of reported revenue in 2018, led by THP. The revision from the previously announced revenue target of £1 billion is largely driven by a reduction in planned year-end stocks in Japan as the THP category remains flat and the effect of the Vuse Vibe recall in the US.
‘In Oral Tobacco, we expect strong constant currency revenue growth on a representative basis, with good performances in both the US and Europe, following the continued success of Epok.’Public looking for facts
A new global survey has indicated that 77 percent of adults agree that governments should do all they can to encourage people who would otherwise keep smoking cigarettes to switch completely to ‘better alternatives’.
The survey was commissioned by Philip Morris International and conducted by Ipsos.
In a note posted on its website, PMI said that smoking was ranked alongside obesity, alcoholism and opioid use in its importance as a public health issue. Importantly, the multinational survey showed strong support for the role that innovation and technology should play in resolving these global health problems.
“This survey shows that most people around the world agree that smoking is still a serious public health problem,” Dr. Moira Gilchrist, vice president of scientific and public communications at PMI, was quoted as saying. “They want to see action to tap into the opportunity provided by alternatives to cigarettes that are scientifically substantiated. We are in complete agreement with that view. Public opinion aligns with common sense, and the survey confirms what we have heard for more than a decade.”
PMI said the survey results had shown also that 86 percent of respondents believed consumer goods companies had an obligation continually to research and innovate their products in the interest of public health. ‘However, only 35 percent thought that governments have done a good job to ensure everyone has access to the latest innovations and advancements,’ the PMI note said. ‘Clearly, society does not want governments to block promising solutions to public health problems.’
Publication of the study results follows a meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in Geneva last week, where 181 member countries and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) met to decide on global tobacco control policy recommendations. None of their discussions were open to the public or media.
‘Although many individual states took progressive positions, the disappointing and unfortunate outcome of the COP will mean that millions of smokers will not know about better alternatives to cigarettes,’ PMI said. ‘This approach is in sharp contrast with public opinion: 92 percent of those surveyed agreed that smokers should have access to accurate information to guide their choices.’
Gilchrist said the science was clear. “The evidence shows that switching to a smoke-free product is a better choice than continuing to smoke,” she said. “We simply cannot keep smokers in the dark about this information. The COP missed an opportunity to put people and science at the heart of its policymaking.”
‘Contrary to common sense, the tobacco industry has been discouraged from innovating and inadvertently encouraged to keep cigarettes at the core of their business models,’ PMI said.
‘Despite this, at PMI we will not waiver from our commitment to provide the world’s 1.1 billion smokers with better alternatives to cigarettes, as well as information about these options.
‘Countries now have the opportunity to implement local regulations that embrace science and technology. Progressive polices can effectively protect overall population health, while still working in the best interests of men and women who smoke.’
“With any other global problem, from the environment to obesity, everyone works together to deliver better alternatives, inform people about them and incentivize them to change behavior,” Gilchrist said. “Why should this common-sense approach not apply to tobacco?”
‘The clear call from society for more information about, and access to, better alternatives to cigarettes did not come without important caveats that we support,’ PMI said. ‘Of those surveyed, 92 percent agreed that these new products must have robust scientific testing prior to being introduced into the market, and 91 percent agreed that once these products have been introduced their impact needs to be monitored to ensure they are reducing the harm caused by cigarettes.
The survey data can be view here.Swedish Match tries again
The US Food and Drug Administration said yesterday it had posted an amendment to the modified risk tobacco product applications (MRTPAs) for General Snus products submitted by Swedish Match North America.
The FDA said that, on December 14, 2016, it had denied the company’s request ‘to remove a currently required warning statement that products can cause gum disease and tooth loss’.
‘With respect to the company’s other requests to remove or revise two additional currently required warnings, FDA deferred final action and issued a response that offered the company an option to amend its applications,’ it said in a note issued through the Center for Tobacco Products.
‘FDA will post any future amendments to the application on the Center for Tobacco Products’ website on a rolling basis as the materials are redacted.’
More information is available here.Innovation the key
Philip Morris International has said that, given the right conditions, it could stop selling combustible cigarettes in less than a century.
PMI yesterday published a position paper giving its views on the eighth session of the Conference of Parties (COP8) to the World Health Organization Framework Convention of Tobacco Control (FCTC).
‘With more than one billion people expected to be smoking in 2025, PMI is urging the WHO, the hundreds of delegates convening in Geneva this week, and the wider public health community to embrace the potential of innovative alternatives to cigarettes in order to achieve the UN’s sustainable development goals for non-communicable diseases as quickly as possible,’ PMI said.
PMI acknowledged that smoking prevalence was in decline but argued that the pace of that decline could be much faster.
‘The landscape of tobacco and nicotine products has evolved significantly over recent years,’ the company said. ‘Not all tobacco products are the same with respect to their health risks. Moreover, rapid innovation offers opportunities to accelerate the downward trajectory of smoking prevalence.’
PMI said that, ultimately, it aimed to stop selling cigarettes entirely and was confident that this could happen in less than a century if smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke were proactively encouraged to switch to less harmful alternatives, which already exist but were either not well known or in some cases restricted.
‘Where these products have been adopted, for instance, in countries such as Japan and the UK, there have been unprecedented declines in cigarette sales,’ PMI said. Progress in these countries signals the potential for great change across the globe and is the core reason why PMI has publicly committed its future to being smoke-free, and continues to develop new science-based technologies and innovations that offer better alternatives to men and women who would otherwise continue to smoke.’
PMI’s policy-making recommendations published yesterday include:- Policies must continue to dissuade minors, ex-smokers, and non-smokers from using tobacco- and nicotine-containing products, while making better alternatives to cigarettes available to adults who smoke.
- Tobacco control policies should encompass tobacco-harm reduction strategies as well as supply and demand measures that encourage smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke to switch to better alternatives.
- There should be thorough, independent verification of manufacturers’ products and science to assess how ENDS [electronic nicotine delivery systems] and novel and emerging tobacco and nicotine products can support policies to reduce smoking prevalence.
- There should be national and global surveillance systems to study market trends. This surveillance should include data on product usage, including switching rates associated with different tobacco and nicotine products, to enable accurate reporting of smoking prevalence and the use of ENDS and novel and emerging tobacco products.
- Incentives should encourage investment and continuous research and development of less harmful alternatives, including the establishment of quality and performance standards for smoke-free products.
- Mechanisms should be established to enable transparent interaction and consultation between governments and producers of emerging tobacco and nicotine products.
The policy paper is at: https://www.pmi.com/resources/docs/default-source/newsroom/pmi-cop-position-statement.pdf?sfvrsn=41ff9cb5_10.
THR map shows the way
A new report, No Fire, No Smoke: the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction Report 2018, maps for the first time the global, regional and national availability and use of safer nicotine products (SNP), the regulatory responses to these products, the public health potential of tobacco harm reduction, and the right to access SNP.
The report, written by Harry Shapiro and published by Knowledge Action Change, which describes itself as a private-sector agency for public health, was launched today in Geneva where the eighth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is being held this week.
In a press note announcing the report’s launch, the team behind it said that every six seconds someone died from a smoking-related disease and that this problem was likely to worsen.
The steep smoking declines in richer countries were slowing while in financially-poorer countries smoking was set to rise.
‘Existing forms of tobacco control are proving insufficient,’ the note said.
‘There is substantial international, independent evidence that safer nicotine products could lead to a global revolution in public health.
‘Time is way overdue that countries and international organizations support tobacco harm reduction and safer nicotine products…’
Summaries of the report in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Hindi, Japanese, Polish, Russian, Spanish and Portuguese are available to download at https://gsthr.org/report/summary, and more languages are due to be added.FDA invites comments
The public is being invited to comment on a modified risk tobacco product (MRTP) application submitted by U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co. for Copenhagen Snuff Fine Cut.
In a notice issued by the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP), the CTP said ‘[t]he Federal Register has issued a notice establishing a docket on regulations.gov to receive public comments on one modified risk tobacco product (MRTP) application submitted by U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co. LLC for Copenhagen Snuff Fine Cut.
‘The FDA filed this application on September 14, 2018, for scientific review and will continue to make application materials publicly available, in accordance with applicable laws, on a rolling basis via the CTP website,’ the notice said.
‘Starting … September 21, anyone may submit research, data, or other public comments related to these MRTP applications to docket FDA-2018-N-3261 on regulations.gov.
‘The FDA encourages interested parties to submit public comments earlier in the comment period, as the agency may be less able to review later comments before the MRTP applications are referred to the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee.’Smuggling snus
Eight people are alleged to have smuggled more than 12 tonnes of snus from Sweden to Finland between 2016 and 2018, according to a story in The Local Europe quoting the Finnish customs authority.
Snus has been banned from sale in the EU since 1992, apart from in Sweden, which negotiated an exemption to the ban when it joined the union in 1995.
The main suspect is said to be a Finnish man in his 50s who lives across the border at Haparanda, Sweden. while a younger person, also residing in Sweden, is alleged to have helped him.
The other suspects live near the Finnish capital and in Kajanaland, eastern Finland.
All eight are accused of smuggling and aggravated tax fraud.
Bringing small amounts of snus into Finland for personal consumption is allowed.
But according to prosecutors, the snus in question – in total 12,700 kg – was bought in Swedish stores and transported in several cars to customers in the Kemi-Torneå area of Finland and then distributed further south in the country.
The alleged smuggling ring was caught when customs officers stopped a van carrying 175 kg of snus in Finland in April this year.
The case is due to go before a Lapland court later this autumn.
