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  • Altria and KT&G Partner in Pursuit of Modern Nicotine Growth

    Altria and KT&G Partner in Pursuit of Modern Nicotine Growth

    Altria Group, Inc. and KT&G Corporation announced they have signed a non-binding global collaboration memorandum of understanding (MOU) “to pursue joint growth opportunities in modern oral nicotine, non-nicotine wellness products, and operational efficiency in traditional tobacco.” The partnership builds on Altria’s long-term goal of expanding into adjacent international categories beyond cigarettes, first outlined in 2023.

    The companies said their complementary strengths would accelerate innovation and market expansion. As an initial step, an Altria subsidiary will acquire an ownership interest in Sweden-based Another Snus Factory (ASF), concurrent with KT&G’s purchase of the company, giving both parties a foothold in the LOOP nicotine pouch brand. They also plan to evaluate ways to expand Altria’s on! and on! PLUS oral nicotine products to select markets.

    Beyond nicotine, the collaboration extends into the U.S. wellness and energy space through Altria and KT&G’s Korea Ginseng Corporation, which will jointly explore new product opportunities. The two firms will also work to improve operational efficiency in traditional tobacco businesses, with the aim of strengthening competitiveness and creating transferable capabilities for future international smoke-free ventures.

  • FDA Launches Pilot to Fast-Track Nicotine Pouch Reviews

    FDA Launches Pilot to Fast-Track Nicotine Pouch Reviews

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is set to fast-track reviews of nicotine pouches from Philip Morris International, Altria, Reynolds American, and Turning Point Brands in a pilot program launching Monday, according to Reuters. According to transcripts of an agency meeting last Friday, the agency aims to complete assessments by December, providing a quicker path to market for products like Zyn, on!, Velo, Fre, and Alp. The initiative comes amid pressure from the Trump administration to accelerate approvals and streamline the review process for the fastest-growing category of U.S. tobacco alternatives.

    The pilot program will reportedly feature reduced and expedited reviews, more frequent communication between FDA staff and companies, and a focus on essential scientific and safety data, including product characterization, manufacturing consistency, and abuse-liability information. For products already on the market without full authorization, the process could remove uncertainty over legality and potential enforcement actions. Tobacco firms have long lobbied for a faster FDA authorization route, noting that lengthy reviews have allowed competitors to capture market share in the meantime.

    “Adult nicotine and tobacco consumers are increasingly seeking nicotine pouches as a smoke-free alternative, and the industry is rapidly growing in response,” said Laura Leigh Oyler, vice president of U.S. Regulatory Affairs at Haypp Group, who will be speaking at GTNF 2025 in Brussels on the U.S. regulatory landscape. “These consumers deserve a marketplace of FDA-reviewed product choices to support their journey away from more harmful products. 

    “It makes sense that our government should also work to meet the demands of citizens, supporting a regulatory regime that quickly reviews well-designed and well-tested products from responsible and compliant manufacturers. This is a positive step not just for the regulator and the regulated industry, but for the millions of American adults looking for products they can trust.”

  • NJOY Sues FDA Over Delays in Flavored E-Cigarette Approval

    NJOY Sues FDA Over Delays in Flavored E-Cigarette Approval

    NJOY LLC, a subsidiary of Altria Group, filed a lawsuit in federal court in Louisiana last week (August 21), accusing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of unlawfully delaying its review of applications to market flavored e-cigarettes. According to NJOY, the FDA has failed to adhere to statutory deadlines stipulated in the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. The company claims such delays unfairly hinder its efforts to provide adult smokers with reduced-risk alternatives to combustible tobacco.

    According to the filing, in December 2020, the FDA denied NJOY’s application with only one deficiency listed: that the flavored products’ applications did not show they “would increase the likelihood of complete switching among adult smokers, compared to the Rich Tobacco and Menthol varieties” (products that were granted marketing authorization). In March 2021, NJOY responded, providing data showing the flavored products’ switch rates were 29-68% higher than the approved products after six months of use. The FDA has yet to respond despite repeated requests for updates, leading to last week’s lawsuit.

    Additionally, the filing states that documents received during a Freedom of Information Act request revealed that the Office of Science’s epidemiology staff concluded that NJOY adequately addressed the flavor-specific deficiency and that the products were associated with higher rates of cessation, and also that unrequested sales restrictions and reporting requirements offered by NJOY would, according to the Office of Health Communication and Education, mitigate concerns about potential youth initiation.

    The lawsuit underscores growing tensions between major industry firms and the FDA, which is facing a massive backlog of Premarket Tobacco Product Applications, particularly as sales of unauthorized flavored vaping products continue to surge. NJOY argues the delays not only burden its business, but also limit smokers’ access to potentially less harmful products.

  • Altria Increases Quarterly Dividend to $1.06 Per Share

    Altria Increases Quarterly Dividend to $1.06 Per Share

    Altria Group, Inc. today (August 21) announced that its board of directors voted to increase the company’s regular quarterly dividend by 3.9% to $1.06 per share versus the previous rate of $1.02 per share. This increase marks the 60th dividend increase in the past 56 years.

    The quarterly dividend is payable October 10 to shareholders of record as of September 15. The ex-dividend date is September 15. The new annualized dividend rate is $4.24 per share, representing a dividend yield of 6.3% based on Altria’s closing stock price of $67.58 on August 20.

  • PDI Technologies Prepares Retailers for Altria’s 2026 Digital Trade Program

    PDI Technologies Prepares Retailers for Altria’s 2026 Digital Trade Program

    Ahead of the 2026 launch of Altria Group Distribution Company’s (AGDC) Digital Trade Program (DTP), PDI Technologies announced its continued support for retailers navigating the evolving tobacco loyalty landscape.

    PDI, already P+ certified and actively assisting stores in meeting current DTP requirements, is developing advanced integration tools and services to ensure both chain and independent retailers are ready for the upcoming changes, expected to take effect on January 1, 2026.

    “Our goal is to help retailers fully leverage AGDC’s DTP at all levels and deliver value to engaged adult tobacco consumers 21 and older,” said Mike Melson, senior vice president and general manager of Payments and Loyalty at PDI.

    PDI will offer guidance, resources, and support through its platform and at Connections Live 2025 in Denver this August, where AGDC will provide in-person training on the new program.

  • U.S. Faces Vape Shortage as Tariffs Hit, Seizures Increase

    U.S. Faces Vape Shortage as Tariffs Hit, Seizures Increase

    Popular vape brands like Geek Bar may get more expensive in the U.S.—if you can find them at all, Reuters reports. Shipments of vapes from China to the U.S. ground to a near halt in May from a year ago, official data shows, hit by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and a crackdown on unauthorized e-cigarettes in the world’s biggest market for smoking alternatives.

    That includes Geek Bar, which is not authorized to sell in the U.S. but has been widely available due to porous import controls. Geek Bar was by far the most popular unauthorized vape brand in the U.S. last year, accounting for around a quarter of sales tracked by market research company Circana in 2024 despite lacking a license to sell from the FDA.

    One retailer, who asked not to be named because their business sells unauthorized vapes, told Reuters that one of the store’s vape suppliers normally receives 100 boxes of Geek Bar vapes per week, but is now getting just 10. Another supplier imposed unprecedented purchase limits of five boxes.

    “There were a lot of supply chain issues” during COVID-19, the person said. “But I’ve never seen this.”

    Trump’s decision to impose steep tariffs on China, now at 30% after peaking at 145% in April, as well as blockbuster seizures of unauthorized vapes, have constrained the supply of Chinese-owned vape brands and Geek Bar in particular, according to five industry sources and notices from U.S. Geek Bar wholesalers reviewed by Reuters. In May 2025, the FDA recorded just 71 shipments of products labelled as e-cigarettes or vapes from China, compared with nearly 1,200 over the same period last year.

    To mitigate tariffs, illicit vape producers can mislabel or undervalue their shipments or spoof their origin entirely to make it look like they came from a lower-tariff country like Indonesia, Vietnam or Mexico, said Luis Pinto, a spokesperson for British American Tobacco. Vapes from China are often smuggled into the U.S. disguised as other items entirely, such as shoes or toys, to evade officials hunting for unauthorized vapes at the border, according to public statements from the FDA and Customs and Border Protection.

    The growth of Geek Bar and other unregulated vape brands has eaten into the market share of cigarette companies like Altria and BAT, which estimates unauthorized e-cigarettes accounted for some 70% of all U.S. vape sales last year.

  • Altria to Host Annual Meeting May 15

    Altria to Host Annual Meeting May 15

    Altria Group, Inc. will host a live audio webcast of its 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders May 15, 2025, at 9 a.m. EST. During the meeting, shareholders as of the 2025 Annual Meeting record date (March 25, 2025) will be able to vote their shares electronically and will be able to submit questions during the meeting as time permits. Although shareholders will be able to vote their shares during the meeting, they are encouraged to do so before the meeting using one of the methods described in the 2025 Proxy Statement.

    If you are not a shareholder, you may listen as a guest but cannot participate.

    Directions on how to participate in the meeting are posted at www.altria.com/proxy.

    Instead of a business update presentation at the 2025 Annual Meeting, the company encourages shareholders and guests to review resources before the meeting, available at www.altria.com/investors.

  • Altria Down 5.7% in First Quarter

    Altria Down 5.7% in First Quarter

    Today (April 29), Altria Group, Inc. reported its 2025 first-quarter business results and reaffirmed its guidance for 2025 full-year adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS).

    “Our highly profitable traditional tobacco businesses performed well in a challenging environment in the first quarter,” said Billy Gifford, Altria’s Chief Executive Officer. “The smokeable products segment delivered solid adjusted operating companies income growth behind the strength of Marlboro. In the oral tobacco products segment, on! maintained momentum in a competitive marketplace as Helix invested strategically behind the brand. And shareholders continued to benefit from strong cash returns through dividends and share repurchases, while we invested in pursuit of our Vision.”

    “We continue to expect to deliver a full-year 2025 adjusted diluted EPS growth rate of 2% to 5% versus 2024. This growth rate represents full-year adjusted diluted EPS in a range of $5.30 to $5.45 from a base of $5.19 in 2024. Our guidance excludes amortization expense associated with definite-lived intangible assets, which was previously included in our adjusted results.”

    Highlights from the report included:

    • Q1 revenue decreased 5.7% to $5.3 billion
    • NJOY U.S. retail share increased 2.4 points to 6.6%
    • Shipments of NJOY ACE were discontinued March 24, per ITC orders
    • Paid $1.7 billion in first-quarter dividends
    • Smokeable domestic shipments decreased 13.7%
    • Net revenues for oral tobacco products increased by 0.5%

    See the full report here.

  • Altria to Host Webcast of 2025 First-Quarter Results

    Altria to Host Webcast of 2025 First-Quarter Results

    Altria Group, Inc. will host a live audio webcast April 29, 2025, at 9 a.m. EST to discuss its 2025 first-quarter business results. Altria will issue a press release containing its business results at approximately 7 a.m. the same day. The webcast can be accessed at altria.com.

    During the webcast, Billy Gifford, Altria’s Chief Executive Officer, and Sal Mancuso, Altria’s Chief Financial Officer, will discuss the Company’s 2025 first-quarter business results and answer questions from the investment community and news media.

    The webcast will be in a listen-only mode. Pre-event registration is necessary; directions are posted at www.altria.com/webcasts. An archived copy of the webcast will be available on altria.com.

  • Arizona Retailers Claim They Were Duped by Altria Rep

    Arizona Retailers Claim They Were Duped by Altria Rep

    Several Arizona e-cigarette retailers claim they were duped into signing a petition to ban flavored vapes in the state by a representative of Altria. Casey Chanda, the manager of a liquor store, told The Arizona Republic that a representative for the tobacco giant showed up at his shop offering a list of flavored vapes that would be banned under a bill being proposed in the state Legislature. Chanda said he was told he had to sign something to receive the list.

    The next day, Chanda said he saw his store was officially registered on the Legislature’s website as being in support of a bill that would allow only the 34 vape devices currently authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to be sold. Those 34 products are all made by either Altria, R.J. Reynolds, or Japan Tobacco International, The Arizona Republic reported.

    Chanda said he “flipped out” and called his Marlboro rep.

    “I said, ‘Why the f— would I want to stop selling the vapes?’” he said. “‘Do you know how much money I make?’”

    The store is one of nearly 40 liquor and convenience stores that signed “for” Senate Bill 1603 on the Legislature’s “Request to Speak” system, which allows people to add their names and affiliations to support or oppose a bill. The system helps lawmakers decide how to vote on bills.

    Including Chanda, four of five store owners or managers of liquor and convenience stores contacted by The Arizona Republic said they did not intentionally sign up to support the bill.

    Mike Takrouri, owner of Party Stop Market said his Altria rep said the bill would stop the sale of menthol cigarettes. “Then I found it was not about the menthol cigarettes, it was about the vapes,” he said. “I feel like they were not honest from the beginning.” He said he asked the rep to take his name off the Legislature’s site because he’s not in support of the bill, but as of April 7, it was still there.

    Phil Butler, general manager of Chandler Oil One said that during a recent meeting with his Altria rep about the bill, “the way they presented it to me was not right.”

    “I don’t support it,” he said. “When I signed up for it, I wasn’t given all the information on it.

    “It’s Big Tobacco trying to use the legal system to go after these smaller companies, because they’re taking their profits,” he said, adding that his store profits about $2,500 per month on the flavored vape devices, which outsell “Big Tobacco’s” vape products and have a better margin.

    The Arizona Republic said Altria did not respond to requests for comment from the newspaper about these incidents.