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  • Weight-Loss Drugs Lower Nicotine Cravings

    Weight-Loss Drugs Lower Nicotine Cravings

    Photo: Semi

    GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound, suppress not only appetite but also nicotine cravings, reports Quartz, citing a new report from Morgan Stanley.

    The investment bank asked 300 GLP-1 users about their consumption habits while taking the medication.

    While 40 percent of survey respondents said they smoked cigarettes at least weekly before starting a GLP-1 treatment, that number fell to 24 percent after they started the treatment. Meanwhile, weekly e-cigarette usage dropped from 30 percent of respondents to 16 percent after they started taking a GLP-1.

    Anecdotal evidence from patients and healthcare providers suggests GLP-1s can help users curb their addictions to tobacco.

    While research has yet to prove a causal link between the two, clinical trials are currently underway to better understand the effects of GLP-1s on tobacco consumption.

    Demand for GLP-1 drugs has grown rapidly recently. Morgan Stanley expects the global market to reach $105 billion by 2030. It projects that the weight-loss medications will be adopted by about 31.5 million U.S. people, or about 9 percent of the nation’s population, by 2035.

  • Suppliers Updated on New U.K. Landscape

    Suppliers Updated on New U.K. Landscape

    John Dunne (Photo: UKVIA)

    John Dunne, director general of the U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA), traveled to China to educate vape companies on Britain’s changing regulatory landscape.

    The U.K. will ban disposable e-cigarettes from April next year, and the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which is currently working its way through Parliament, seeks to give ministers unprecedented powers to ban flavors and decide how vapes are packaged and sold.

    Speaking at the headquarters of the Electronic Cigarette Industry Committee of the China Electronics Chamber of Commerce (ECCC), Dunne shared his expert knowledge to conduct on-site compliance training to some of the world’s leading vape companies, including Elf Bar, SKE, ELUX, HQD, Hangsen, Greensound, Aspire, ICCPP, RELX, ALD, Uwell and Zinwi.

    Describing the U.K. regulatory landscape as “complex and changeable,” Dunne said issues such as the protection of minors, battery recycling and environmental protection were high on the agenda of politicians, regulators and the general public.

    “It is absolutely vital that all companies operating in the U.K. are fully compliant with all local laws and work at all times to show the industry in the best possible light,” he said in a statement.

    Dunne said the UKVIA would continue to work with the ECCC to help members comply with current requirements, prepare for future regulatory change and to foster global cooperation to promote the development and prosperity of the global vaping industry.

  • Altria Reaffirms Guidance

    Altria Reaffirms Guidance

    Photo: Maurice Norbert

    Altria Group reported net revenues of $5.58 billion for the first quarter of 2024, down 2.5 percent from the comparable 2023 period. Revenues net of excise taxes declined 1 percent to $4.72 billion. The company reaffirmed its 2024 full-year adjusted diluted earnings-per-share guidance range of $5.05 to $5.17.

    Altria attributed the income declines to lower net revenues in the smokeable products segment, partially offset by higher net revenues in the oral tobacco products segment and the “all other” category.

    Marlboro’s retail share of the total cigarette category was 42 percent, unchanged from the prior year. The brand’s share of the premium segment was 59.3 percent, an increase of 0.7 share points versus the prior-year period.

    The company shipped 1 million Njoy devices and 10.9 million units of Njoy consumables during the quarter. Njoy held a 4.3 percent share of the U.S. mini-outlet and convenience channel segment.

    “We made meaningful progress in pursuit of our vision, and our highly profitable traditional tobacco businesses continued to perform well in a challenging environment,” said Altria CEO Billy Gifford in a statement, referring to the company’s ambition “to responsibly lead the transition of adult smokers to a smoke-free future.”

    “In spite of the absence of an effective regulatory environment, we saw continued early momentum from Njoy and believe our businesses are on track to deliver against full-year plans.

    “We also demonstrated our continued commitment to maximizing the return on our investments and delivering strong shareholder returns through the sale of a portion of our investment in ABI and the subsequent expansion of our share repurchase program in March,” Gifford said, referring to Altria Group’s March sale of 35 million ordinary shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev.

  • U.K. Misleading Public

    U.K. Misleading Public

    Mora Gilchrist (Photo: PMI)

    Philip Morris International has accused the U.K. Department of Health of spreading misinformation about heated-tobacco products after a social media post warning that “all forms of tobacco are harmful,” reports The Grocer.

    A tweet posted by the department in a thread of “myths” about vaping and tobacco contained false and misleading statements and risks driving consumers back to cigarettes or dissuading current smokers from making the switch to alternatives, according to the multinational.

    “What hope do adult smokers have when seeking out accurate information on smoke-free products if it’s the government that’s spreading misinformation?” said PMI Chief Communications Officer Moira Gilchrist.

    “All forms of tobacco are harmful, and there is no evidence that heated-tobacco products are effective for helping people to quit smoking,” the tweet stated.

    “Laboratory studies show clear evidence of toxicity from heated-tobacco products. Unlike vapes, there is no evidence they are effective for helping people to quit smoking,” the post continues, citing a 2017 report by the Committee on Toxicity.

    According to Gilchrist, such statements “distort the scientific evidence base” and “seriously misleads the public.”

    While acknowledging that heated tobaccos are not risk-free, Gilchrist said it is misleading to imply that all forms of tobacco are equally harmful.

    A Public Health England report in 2018 said that available evidence suggested that heated-tobacco products “may be considerably less harmful than tobacco cigarettes” but “more harmful than e-cigarettes.”

    The Grocer

  • KT&G Sued

    KT&G Sued

    Photo: Ian O’Hanlon

    A former KT&G Corp researcher has filed a lawsuit against his former employer claiming that he was insufficiently compensated for inventing “the world’s first e-cigarette” while working at the firm, reports the Yonhap News Agency.

    Kwak Dae-geun demands KRW2.8 trillion ($2 billion), reportedly the highest amount ever claimed by an individual in a South Korean legal action

    According to the suit, Kwak joined the Korea Ginseng and Tobacco Research Institute in 1991 and began developing a tobacco-heating product in 2005.

     In July that year, he registered his first patent for a prototype. In December 2006, he registered another patent for an upgraded version with a controllable heater.

    Subsequently, he developed a full e-cigarette set, and registered a patent for part of the device in 2007 before leaving the company in 2010 as part of corporate restructuring.

    After Kwak’s departure, KT&G allegedly registered patents for some of his technologies without recognizing his contributions.

    In addition to his claim about compensation, Kwak contends that a prominent rival global tobacco firm was able to commercialize its internal heating-based e-cigarette model in South Korea in 2017 due to the absence of overseas patents.

    Kwak’s requested damages reflects his portion of the revenue KT&G is expected to generate through Kwak’s patented technology during the 20-year patent term, as well as what KT&G would have earned if it had registered patents overseas.

    KT&G counters that it has properly rewarded Kwan in the form of offering a technology advisory deal, and that Kwak had agreed not to raise any legal issues.

    The firm also said the technologies invented by Kwak are not currently used in the products it is selling.

    The e-cigarettes being sold by the global firm in question, meanwhile, did not involve technologies patented by Kwak, according to KT&G, which also noted that the rival firm had already commercialized early-model heated tobacco-type products in 1998.

  • Sampoerna Profit Jumps by One Third

    Sampoerna Profit Jumps by One Third

    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    Net profit of Sampoerna grew 28 percent to IDR8.1 trillion ($501.11 million) in 2023. With shipments of 83.4 billion cigarettes, the company remained the undisputed leader in Indonesia, claiming a market share of 28.6 percent.

    “2023 marked a year of return to robust profitable growth, with Sampoerna reaching significant milestones for advancing scientifically substantiated smoke-free products, increasing its investment and employment in Indonesia, and generating strong multiplier effects, in line with the country’s priority to enhance down-streaming.” said Sampoerna President Director Vassilis Gkatzelis in a statement.

    Sampoerna’s performance was driven in part by the recovery of the hand-rolled kretek cigarette (SKT) segment in Indonesia. After declining for many years, its share rose from 17 percent of overall tobacco sales in 2019 to 28 percent in 2023, boosted by the government’s favorable tax treatment of this labor-intensive sector.

    In early 2024, Sampoerna added SKT production facilities and third-party operators, creating employment for tens of thousands of new workers.

    The company has also been developing its smoke-free portfolio in Indonesia. In 2023, the company inaugurated a dedicated factory in Karawang, near Jakarta, which supplies both the domestic market and customers in the Asia Pacific region.

    In the Jakarta urban area, the company’s IQOS tobacco-heating product reached a market share of 3.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023, an increase of 2 points from the fourth quarter of 2022.

    To date, Sampoerna has invested $300 million in smoke-free products in Indonesia.

    Gkatzelis will leave Sampoerna in May and join Philip Morris International’s executive leadership team as president of the East Asia, Australia and PMI duty-free region.

    His successor at Sampoerna is Ivan Cahyadi.

  • EU Urged to Adopt Science-Based Strategy

    EU Urged to Adopt Science-Based Strategy

    Photo: yavdat

    Consumer representatives are urging European policymakers to adopt science-based tobacco harm reduction strategies as EU health ministers gather in Brussels for a two-day meeting to discuss Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, among other topics.

    The Beating Cancer Plan presents several legislative initiatives to address cancer risk factors, including measures to reduce tobacco and alcohol consumption and improve healthy diets.

    “This meeting should mark the beginning of driving the EU towards a smoke-free future,” said Michael Landl, director of the World Vapers Alliance, in a statement. “Health ministers should take inspiration from Sweden, poised to become the first smoke-free country in the world, thanks largely to the adoption of safer and less harmful alternatives. It remains vital that the EU follow their example and enforce sensible regulation.”

    However, according to Landl, the EU Commission has thus far been “deaf” to the science of tobacco policies. “It is crystal clear that safer nicotine alternatives such as vaping or pouches are significantly less harmful than smoking and effectively aid in smoking cessation,” he said.

    “EU health ministers have a critical opportunity this week to advocate for sensible regulations that could prevent 700,000 unnecessary deaths annually due to smoking. The Beating Cancer Plan acknowledges that vaping can help smokers quit. Politicians must act accordingly. ”

  • Social Media Linked to Youth Tobacco Use

    Social Media Linked to Youth Tobacco Use

    Photo: Alessandro Biascioli

    Frequent social media use is linked to an increased risk of youth using any tobacco product—including e-cigarettes—for the first time after one year, according to a new study led by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) researchers.

    Published in Addictive Behaviors, the study found that youth with no prior tobacco use who used social media daily were 67 percent more likely to begin smoking after one year, compared to youth who used these platforms less frequently. The results also showed that youth who actively engaged with tobacco marketing by liking or following content by major tobacco brands developed an even greater risk of first-time tobacco use.

    “Our results add to a growing body of literature documenting the harms of social media use for this age group, as well as how commercial interests such as the tobacco industry are targeting kids on these platforms,” said study lead and corresponding author Lynsie Ranker, assistant professor of community health sciences at BUSPH, in a statement.

    While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration expanded its regulatory authority over the marketing of new and emerging tobacco products in 2016, restrictions on tobacco advertising on social media is largely at the discretion of the social media companies, rather than government officials. The researchers also note that these restrictions primarily apply to paid promotional content with the platforms, leaving loopholes for branded accounts and marketers’ collaborations with influencers.

    “Based on our research, social media platforms lack self-regulation,” says study coauthor Jessica Fetterman, assistant professor of medicine at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. “They have their own policies against tobacco marketing, yet many leading tobacco companies are able to maintain their own branded accounts to market their products. The government must step forward to regulate tobacco marketing on social media, just as they have done for other forms of media such as TV and print ads.”

    While U.S. cigarette smoking rates have declined substantially among US youth since the mid-1990s, an estimated 10 percent of middle and high school students—2.8 million people—currently use at least one tobacco product, and many also engage in dual use, particularly with e-cigarettes.

  • Kenya to Consult on New Health Warnings

    Kenya to Consult on New Health Warnings

    Photo: 9nong

    Kenya’s Ministry of Health has invited the public to comment on 13 proposed large graphic warnings for tobacco products, reports The Star.

    If the changes are approved, graphic warning depicting impotence, cancerous growths and sick fetuses will also be printed on new tobacco and nicotine products sold in Kenya. Currently, only cigarette packets are required to display such warnings. The law requires a combined picture and text health warning to occupy at least 30 percent of the front and 50 percent of the back of smoked tobacco products. Among the proposed labels is also a message indicating that nicotine pouches are not a safe alternative.

    “These warnings are very important because they speak even to those who can’t read and they attract attention. They also scare people and pass information more clearly and immediately compared to text,” said Joel Gitali, head of the Kenya Tobacco Control Alliance.

    Health warnings were introduced in Kenya as part of the 2007 Tobacco Control Act, which came into force in July 2008 and included requirements for 13 rotating text-only health warnings in Kiswahili and English.

    In 2014, the government introduced 15 new images for smoked and smokeless tobacco packages.  The regulations were to be implemented in June 2015 but were delayed due to a legal challenge by cigarette manufacturers, who lost the case at the Supreme Court. The images were introduced beginning September 2016.

    The 2014 regulations require tobacco manufacturers to rotate the picture and text warnings in a 12-month period.

    However, the law does not state how frequently the health minister must update the warnings. The World Health Organization advises governments to change tobacco health warnings every 12 to 36 months.

  • New President at PMFCT

    New President at PMFCT

    Photo: motortion

    Gijs Lambert Johan de Best will take over as president of Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Co. (PMFTC) in the Philippines, succeeding Denis Gorkun who has been the company’s president since September 2019, reports The Philippine Star.

    Gorkun will step down at the end of this month, concluding a nearly 30-year career at PMI.

    De Best is currently Philip Morris International’s vice president strategy and program delivery for South and Southeast Asia, the Commonwealth of Independent States and Middle East and Africa.

    After starting as a financial analyst at PMI’s Netherlands office in August 2004, he held managerial positions in Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, eventually becoming director of business development during his time in Hong Kong.

    PMFTC is a partnership between PMI and LT Group’s Fortune Tobacco Corp., which owns 49.6 percent of PMFTC. In 2023, the firm held 55.2 percent share of the Philippines’ tobacco market.

    PMFTC’s net income declined 26 percent last year to PHP11.38 billion ($198.05 million). LT Group attributed the drop to an industry-wide price increase in the first quarter of last year, which depressed sales.

    Rising illicit cigarette trade incidence and trade inventory movements also contributed to the lower income, according to LT Group.