Category: Technology

  • Joint approach to health

    Joint approach to health

    With the right discussion and oversight, corporations can be reliable partners in helping governments deal with some of today’s public health issues, according to a note posted on Philip Morris International’s website.

    The company says that it has looked at the dynamics between consumers, corporations and authorities across a range of global public health issues through the lens of a new report, Public Health—Much Harder than Rocket Science, which is based on a recent global survey conducted by IPSOS.

    ‘Consumers all over the world want their governments to do better at solving major public health issues, according to the IPSOS survey of 31,000 respondents across 31 countries commissioned by PMI,’ the note says.

    ‘In the survey, respondents were asked how important they believed it is for governments to dedicate time and resources to nine global health issues: air pollution, mental health, STDs [sexually-transmitted diseases], healthier food products, opioid abuse, smoking and alcohol abuse, unwanted pregnancies and obesity.

    ‘When asked about the role of technology and innovation in addressing these issues, 91 per cent of respondents believed technology and innovation had an important role to play. ‘However, respondents did not evaluate government performance highly; … 56 per cent believed the authorities had done a poor job of ensuring access to the latest innovations and advancements that can improve public health.

    ‘Introduced by PMI in Davos, Public Health—Much Harder than Rocket Science, reviews further the discussions surrounding these important public health issues and the interplays between public vs. private impact and human behavior. It concludes that a collaborative approach is possible: Corporations themselves may well be able to help address some of the public health issues relating to their products. And, authorities would be well advised to tap into corporate resources and use their ingenuity and self-interest to create compelling solutions. With the right discussion and oversight, corporations can be reliable partners in helping governments deal with some of today’s public health issues.’

    “Given the scale of these public health challenges, it’s unrealistic to expect advice and exhortations from health authorities alone to make the difference,” argues Marian Salzman, senior vice president, global communications at PMI. “To truly help large numbers of people make the changes they want and need will take a combination of evidence-based public policy initiatives, new technologies and new products.

    “The public deserve – and are asking – to hear about better possibilities, regardless of where they have come from.”

    More information is at: PMI.com.

    All the data can be viewed at: https://www.pmi.com/media-center/news/public-supports-alternatives-to-cigarettes.

  • Delivering health by text

    Delivering health by text

    Chinese researchers have reported some success in using text messages to encourage smokers to quit, according to a Xinhua News Agency story.
    The results of the study published on Tuesday in the journal PLOS Medicine showed that 6.5 percent of smokers who had received a 12-week, mobile-phone-based intervention had quit by the end of the study.
    The researchers at the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University said the intervention could prove to be more feasible and to have greater reach than in-person treatments.
    The intervention had great potential to improve population health and should be considered for large-scale use in China, the researchers added.
    The study was conducted as a randomized controlled trial across China from August 2016 to May 2017, among 1,369 adult smokers.
    Participants were randomly assigned to a 12-week intervention consisting of either high-frequency or low-frequency messaging, or to a control group that received text messages unrelated to quitting.
    At the end of the trial, 6.5 percent of those in the high-frequency group, 6.0 percent of those in the low-frequency group and 1.9 percent of those in the control group had quit smoking.

  • HNB workshop for March

    HNB workshop for March

    A report on its 2018 Congress is included in the latest newsletter from CORESTA (Co-operation Centre for Scientific Research Relative to Tobacco).
    The 2018 Congress was hosted by the China National Tobacco Corporation and held in Kunming in October.
    The report includes details about the CORESTA Congress presentations and workshops, and a brief outline of the networking events.
    Special mention is made of the Heated Tobacco Products Open Discussion and the announcement that a workshop is due to be held on this topic in Paris, France, in March.
    The report includes, too, an outline of the CORESTA Prize presentation and medal awards ceremony, the results of the Board elections during the General Assembly, and the names of the newly-elected Scientific Commission executives.
    The newsletter includes mention of the Golden Leaf Award, which was presented to CORESTA at Tobacco Reporter’s GTNF 2018 for outstanding service to the industry.
    And, as usual, the newsletter has a list of recently published CORESTA Technical Reports, Guides and New Projects launched, and revised CRMs.
    It has an update on CORESTA external communications and the dates of upcoming CORESTA meetings.

  • Technology that satisfies

    Technology that satisfies

    British American Tobacco said yesterday it had launched two products in which new puretech blade technology had replaced the coil and wick heating mechanism traditionally found in e-cigarettes.
    In a note posted on its website, BAT said that it was launching two new electronic cigarettes, Vype iSwitch and Vype iSwitch Maxx, in five of its VIP branded stores in London.
    The company said the new products were powered by the world-first vaping technology, Vype puretech, as it sought to provide an even more satisfying option for adult smokers looking for a potentially reduced-risk alternative to traditional cigarettes. The new products were aimed at smokers who had yet to find a vaping alternative that satisfied them.
    Vype iSwitch and Vype iSwitch Maxx are driven by new-to-world puretech blade technology – replacing the coil and wick heating mechanism traditionally found in e-cigarettes,’ the note said. ‘This breakthrough heating technology is proprietary to BAT and protected by multiple patents.’
    BAT highlighted that:

    • ‘It is a fabric-free technology – an ultra-slim stainless-steel blade, which replaces the traditional coil and wick, heating the e-liquid to create the vapor which the consumer inhales.
    • ‘The blade, which is around the thickness of a human hair, has a surface area ten times larger than a traditional coil and wick heating system, providing a much more precise and measured way to heat the e-liquid.
    • ‘Results in increased consumer taste satisfaction by ensuring a smoother, richer and more consistent vape.
    • ‘The power and design of the technology delivers nicotine more effectively – even with lower strength nicotine e-liquids.
    • ‘Vype puretech, as tested on Vype iSwitch, also produces a vapor which contains around 99 percent less toxicants than the smoke from a conventional cigarette – the biggest reduction, to date, that BAT has seen in its portfolio of Vype vapor products.’

    BAT said the new range had been designed to have a premium look and feel.
    ‘Vype iSwitch and Vype iSwitch Maxx are closed-system vaping devices with consumer-centric design features, such as the “slide and lock” mechanism to easily change the specially designed cartridges – containing Vype puretech blades,’ the note said. ‘The cartridges are available in three flavours (Fresh Mint, Virginia Tobacco and Forest Berries) and three nicotine strengths (3mg/ml, 5mg/ml and 8mg/ml).’
    BAT said the limited launch was intended to facilitate consumer interaction with the new product so that the company could take ‘learnings and consumer feedback ahead of a wider roll-out’ further in the UK and online in 2019.

  • Reporting harm reduction

    Reporting harm reduction

    British American Tobacco yesterday published its 2018 Harm Reduction Focus Report, which looks at the company’s strategy of ‘transforming tobacco’ by seeking to provide consumers with satisfying, reduced-risk alternatives to smoking.
    ‘This new report highlights BAT’s continued commitment to contributing to tobacco harm reduction,’ the company said in a note posted on its website. ‘It demonstrates how the company has made tremendous progress in its long-held ambition to provide consumers with less risky tobacco and nicotine choices. Adult consumers are offered a much broader range of alternatives than ever before, including vapor products, tobacco heating products and oral tobacco and nicotine products in 28 countries globally.’
    BAT said the report focused also on how the company was maximising the potential of its products to contribute to harm reduction by continuously investing in innovation, building reliable evidence backed by robust science, and driving responsible growth of the industry through collaborative efforts.
    “At BAT, we’re committed to transforming tobacco by providing consumers with satisfying alternatives to smoking,” chief executive Nicandro Durante was quoted as saying. “Without the right products, tobacco harm reduction will never be a reality, which is why our approach is centred on developing an outstanding product portfolio.
    “But these products can only meet their potential if the right regulatory and market conditions are in place.  Stakeholders from across government, industry and public health need to continue to work together to create an environment for tobacco harm reduction to be successful.
    “As I come to the end of my eight-year tenure as CEO of this fantastic company I am immensely proud of the progress we have made with regards to harm reduction. But this is just the beginning of BAT’s mission to transform tobacco.”
    The report highlights are said to include:

    • Expert viewpoints from BAT’s senior leadership in which Durante comments on BAT’s progress in its commitment to harm reduction under his leadership, and in which scientific and R&D director Dr. David O’Reilly writes about the transformation of the tobacco industry and what it means for BAT.
    • An expert stakeholder viewpoint from Dr. Saul Shiffman, a professor of clinical and health psychology, who has been conducting behavioral research on nicotine and tobacco for 45 years.
    • Information on BAT’s diverse range of potentially reduced-risk products (PRRPs) – from vapor products and tobacco heating products, to oral tobacco and nicotine products – that are now available in 28 countries.
    • An overview of the scientific assessment framework BAT has developed to assess the reduced-risk potential of its products.
    • A reference to the growing body of independent evidence that demonstrates the reduced risk of emerging tobacco and nicotine alternatives to smoking.
    • The importance of effective regulation, including product quality, and safety standards.
    • BAT’s continued commitment to tobacco harm reduction – how it will continue to invest in seeking to develop less risky alternatives to cigarettes, provide sound science behind its products, engage with regulators to raise awareness about the potential benefits of PRRPs, and responsibly market its products to adult consumers looking for potentially less risky alternatives.
  • HNB grabs big market share

    HNB grabs big market share

    More than 230 million packs of heat-not-burn (HNB) sticks were sold in South Korea between January and September, according to a story by Kim Hyun-bin at koreatimes.co.kr citing figures published by the Ministry of Economics and Finance.
    This means that HNB sticks have captured more than nine percent of total cigarette sales since Philip Morris launched its IQOS device in May 2017.
    The Government is said to be concerned that HNB devices are popular among teenagers and that this popularity is spreading.
    According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Young Adults’ Health Condition Report, the ‘smoking’ rate among middle to high school students rose to 6.7 percent from 6.4 percent last year.
    About 9.4 percent of male students smoked, down from 9.5 percent in 2017, while the smoking rate among female students rose from 3.1 percent to 3.7 percent during the same periods.
    Of those male and female students who reported smoking, 43 percent were said to have used HNB devices.
    The story quoted ‘experts’ as saying that HNB devices were popular among teenagers as they created less odor than did conventional cigarettes. Most students smoked discreetly because they feared being caught by teachers and parents.
    The risks associated with using HNB devices were called into question after the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety released a report stating HNB devices delivered five cancer-causing substances and tar levels in excess of those delivered by combustible cigarettes.
    The Ministry announced the results after testing IQOS, British American Tobacco’s glo device and KT&G’s Lil.
    Philip Morris is suing the Ministry for declining to provide information on its research methods.

  • Azerbaijan gears up

    Azerbaijan gears up

    The Azerbaijan tobacco-products manufacturer Tabaterra has built a factory in the Sumgayit Chemical Industrial Park about 30 km from the capital, Baku, according to an AzerNews story that updates slightly one published by the same outlet in October.
    The country is aiming to minimize the import of tobacco products.
    The director of Tabaterra, Elman Javanshir, reportedly told the head of state that the $48-million factory would produce international-standard cigarettes using British, German and Italian technologies.
    The factory, he added, would have an annual production capacity of 11 billion filter cigarettes in three formats, and would meet 80 percent of the country`s demand for tobacco products.
    The story said that Azerbaijan’s annual cigarette consumption currently stood at more than 10 billion, of which 1.6 billion were produced domestically and nine billion were imported.
    The project is expected to create 200 jobs.
    Last year, the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree approving the State Program for the Development of Tobacco Growing in Azerbaijan for 2017-202.
    According to the decree, the State Program is aimed at the development of tobacco growing, improving tobacco processing, increasing profitability and export potential, and increasing employment in rural areas.

  • Hybrid product launched

    Hybrid product launched

    South Korean tobacco manufacturer KT&G on Monday unveiled what it described as its new heat-not-burn (HNB) tobacco device, Lil Hybrid, the first HNB device that works by heating a liquid cartridge, according to a story in The Korea Herald.
    “Our previous HNB tobacco devices – Lil Mini and Lil Plus – had received consumer feedback that the taste needs to be improved,” Lim Wang-seob, chief of the company’s product innovation division, was quoted as saying. “That’s why we came up with our exclusive and new platform called Lil Hybrid.”
    Lil Hybrid uses both a detachable liquid cartridge and an HNB-type stick, which has the brand name Miix. The liquid cartridge and Miix are compatible only with Lil Hybrid.
    Miix is available in three different tastes, Miix Presso, Miix Mix and Miix Ice, while the liquid cartridges do not contain flavorings.
    KT&G said that previous HNB tobacco devices worked by directly heating a tobacco stick to about 315 Celsius, but that Lil Hybrid heated the liquid cartridge to about 160 degrees.
    Meanwhile, Lim was quoted as saying that, according to safety and health-risk tests conducted by a third-party organization, the health risks of Lil Hybrid were less than those of the company’s previous models.
    In July, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety published the results of tests that it claimed had found HNB tobacco products to be equally, if not more harmful than traditional cigarettes. A court case has been launched to force it to disclose its test methodologies.
    The Korean government recently decided to require, from December, that HNB products carry the same graphic warning images as combustible-tobacco products.

  • Monitoring developments

    Monitoring developments

    The EU Commission has said it does not undertake educational awareness-raising campaigns on the toxicity of e-liquids and flavourings, and that it does not foresee its undertaking such activities.
    The Commission was replying to questions posed by a Spanish member of the EU Parliament.
    In a preamble to three questions, José Blanco López said the use of refillable e-cigarettes and the potential exposure to liquids from e-cigarettes that contained high concentrations of nicotine posed risks to public health.
    Twenty percent of people aged between 14 and 18 had tried this ‘new system’.
    ‘The majority of them do not know that it contains nicotine and many others take another type of drug due to the different way that they use e-cigarettes, according to the latest data from the Spanish National Committee for Preventing Tobacco Addiction,’ he said.
    ‘In accordance with European regulations in this area, namely Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008, Directive 2014/40/EU and Report COM (2016) 269 final, can the Commission say:
    1)         ‘Is it considering the possibility of carrying out a greater number of investigations on certain aspects of e-cigarettes which apply to refillable models, such as emissions checks and studies on the safety level of the flavouring substances and their blends?
    2)         ‘Does it intend to raise standards for labeling?
    3)         ‘Does it intend to launch informative and educational awareness-raising campaigns on the toxicity of liquids and flavouring substances?’
    In reply, the Commission said it had taken note of the figures from the Spanish National Committee for Preventing Tobacco Addiction presented by the MEP.
    ‘The Tobacco Products Directive lays down rules for tobacco and related products placed on the EU market,’ it said. ‘Article 20 of the Directive introduces a regulatory framework for electronic cigarettes with a focus on safety, quality, consumer protection and information as well as data collection.
    ‘The Directive does not however harmonise all aspects of electronic cigarettes or refill containers (e.g. rules on flavours and nicotine-free refill liquids are of national competence).
    ‘The Commission continuously monitors developments related to e-cigarettes, including emerging scientific evidence. This information will contribute to the implementation report on the Tobacco Products Directive that the Commission is required to submit in 2021, in line with Article 28(1) of the Directive. The Commission facilitates information exchanges and best practices, assessment of data and is working with member states for example in the Expert Group on Tobacco Policy, Subgroup on Electronic Cigarettes and in the context of a Joint Action on Tobacco Control.
    ‘The Commission does not currently undertake educational awareness-raising campaigns and does not foresee activity in this area.’

  • It's time to talk

    It's time to talk

    The website for the sixth Global Forum on Nicotine (GFN) is now online.
    The conference will be held at the Marriott Hotel, Warsaw, Poland, on 13-15 June 2019.
    The conference, whose theme is, It’s time to talk about nicotine, is due to include plenary sessions, symposia, panel discussions, poster presentations, and satellite sessions.
    The program committee is inviting abstracts for oral presentations, deadline February 10, and posters, deadline March 31. Abstracts should be submitted online.
    The committee will use selected abstracts to construct themed sessions over the coming months. Authors will be informed if their abstracts have been accepted before the posting of the near-final program by April 22.
    The organisers are making available up to three scholarships for early-career researchers who are chosen to make oral presentations.
    Once again, the International Symposium on Nicotine Technology (ISoNTech) will run alongside GFN18.