UK vape specialist retailer VPZ announced a multi-million-pound investment program to expand domestic manufacturing, strengthen supply-chain controls, and create hundreds of jobs across its retail and logistics network, according to Convenience Store. The plan includes adding a fifth production line at its UK facility, opening 40 new stores in 2026, and establishing a bonded warehouse at its Edinburgh headquarters to support compliance, enforcement, and preparation for the planned vape tax in October. VPZ said the investment is aimed at improving resilience, supporting regulatory requirements, and distinguishing compliant retailers from illegal operators amid record seizures of illicit vapes by authorities.
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Bangladesh Bans Tobacco Sales Near Health Facilities
Bangladesh’s Health Ministry directed field-level health authorities to enforce a ban on the sale of tobacco products within 100 meters of hospitals, clinics, and other health facilities, and to ensure these areas remain tobacco-free under recently tightened anti-tobacco laws. The directive follows amendments to the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Act that expanded the definition of tobacco products and increased penalties, raising fines for smoking or tobacco use in designated public places to Tk 2,000 ($16.40), while also requiring health facilities to display no-smoking signage.
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Philippines Customs Busts Illegal Cigarette Factory
The Philippines Bureau of Customs (BOC) shut down an alleged illegal cigarette manufacturing facility in Mexico, Pampanga, after authorities discovered locally made cigarettes branded “Two Moon,” cigarette-making machines, and materials linked to several brands during an operation in Barangay Panipuan. The BOC said similar brands were seized in a recent Batangas operation, suggesting a possible distribution network, while the Bureau of Internal Revenue and Bureau of Immigration are verifying tax stamp compliance and the legal status of six Chinese nationals found at the site alongside 63 Filipinos. Customs officials are inventorying the seized items to assess duties, taxes, and potential violations.
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FDA Posts New Materials in Zyn MRTP Applications
The FDA posted new materials today (Feb. 2) related to the modified risk tobacco product (MRTP) applications submitted by Swedish Match USA, Inc. for 20 Zyn nicotine pouch products. The documents are available on the Swedish Match USA, Inc. MRTP application webpage. This is the final set of application materials.
Accordingly, FDA is establishing the closing date for the public comment period on these MRTP applications. Public comments must be submitted to Docket Number FDA-2025-N-0835-0001 by 11:59 p.m. ET on March 4 to be considered.
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Philip Morris Egypt Updates Prices
Philip Morris Egypt announced updated prices for its cigarette and heated tobacco products effective today (Feb. 2), saying some products increased compared with July 2025 prices, while others remained unchanged. Merit is now priced at EGP 111 ($2.33) per pack, Marlboro at EGP 102 ($2.14), L&M and TEREA at EGP 82 ($1.72), and HEETS holding at EGP 69 ($1.45). Philip Morris Egypt said the prices can be verified through QR codes on packaging and urged retailers to comply with the official list, marking the company’s first price adjustment of 2026.
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Vietnamese Police Bust National Drug-Laced Vape Ring
Vietnamese police arrested 17 suspects for allegedly trafficking narcotics disguised as e-cigarettes and vaping products in an operation targeting a ring accused of selling drug-laced items to students nationwide. The Ministry of Public Security said the group used social media to market products falsely advertised as “non-addictive,” then shipped them via express delivery, with seizures including herbal drugs, CBD oil solutions, drug-containing liquids, and drug-laced cigarettes across multiple provinces. Authorities said forensic tests confirmed all seized products contained narcotics and warned that traffickers are increasingly disguising drugs as vaping and tobacco products, posing heightened risks to teenagers and young people.
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Philippines Seeking Tougher Penalties for Cigarette Smuggling
A bill filed in the Philippine Congress seeks to impose stiffer penalties on illegal cigarette importation and smuggling by amending provisions of the National Internal Revenue Code and the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act. House Bill 6965, or the proposed Anti-Illicit Cigarette Import Trade and Smuggling Act, would criminalize the importation, manufacture, sale, transport, storage, or possession of cigarettes without full payment of excise taxes or required tax stamps, with possession of unstamped cigarettes serving as prima facie evidence of a violation. The measure also proposes enhanced penalties for organized and large-scale smuggling operations, with its author, 1Tahanan party-list Rep. Nathaniel Oducado, citing the impact of illicit trade on government revenues, legitimate businesses, and public health.
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KT&G Shares Surge as BlackRock Becomes Major Shareholder
BlackRock purchased 68,646 shares of South Korea’s KT&G today, according to The Korea Herlad, making it one of KT&G’s largest shareholders, behind IBK Industrial Bank of Korea and the National Pension Service. According to regulatory filings, BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, now has total holdings in KT&G that top 5.91 million shares, or 5.01% of the tobacco and consumer goods company. Korean rules require investors crossing the 5% ownership threshold to disclose their positions to financial authorities and the Korea Exchange.
KT&G shares rose after the disclosure, reaching an intraday record of 153,900 won ($106.19) and closing at an all-time high of 152,900 won ($105.50). The company is scheduled to report earnings on February 5, with market forecasts projecting annual sales of 6.53 trillion won ($4.5 billion), up 10.6% year over year, and operating profit of 1.37 trillion won ($945 million), an expected increase of 13.3%.
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PMI to Host Q4 and FY25 Webcast February 6
Philip Morris International said it will host a live audio webcast on February 6 at 9 a.m. ET to discuss its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 financial results, which are scheduled to be released two hours prior. The listen-only webcast will be hosted by Group CEO Jacek Olczak and CFO Emmanuel Babeau and will include a presentation of results followed by a Q&A session with investors. A recording, slides, and transcript will be available after the event for one year, and the webcast can also be accessed through PMI’s Investor Relations mobile app.
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ATNF Lineup Continues to Grow
The American Tobacco and Nicotine Forum (ATNF) updated its agenda for its 2026 program set for April 20–22, at the Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg, Virginia, confirming an additional 18 prestigious speakers from the industry and regulatory world.
Click here to see the current lineup of speakers.
ATNF is the nation’s leading annual conference focused on the future of the tobacco and nicotine industries, serving as a global forum for the exchange of ideas among public health experts, government officials, industry leaders, and investors. Formerly known as the TMA Annual Meeting, the conference has been held continuously for more than 110 years, now under the Nicotine Resource Consortium.
ATNF 2026 plans to feature an innovation product showcase and a wide-ranging program examining science, regulation, litigation, and tobacco harm reduction. Agenda highlights include sessions on the use of artificial intelligence in product research, lessons from the FDA’s nicotine pouch pilot authorization program, pathways to meaningful PMTA reform, state and local policy impacts on harm reduction, enforcement and marketplace integrity, litigation affecting smoke-free products, and strategies for communicating harm reduction to adults who smoke. Additional panels will explore women’s leadership in tobacco and nicotine law, streamlining product reviews through smokefree standards, and the evolving role of advocacy in advancing tobacco harm reduction.