Tag: e-cigarette

  • E-cigs are medical devices, says Swedish Court

    E-cigarettes and e-liquids that contain nicotine are medical devices rather than consumer products and therefore require licensing, a Swedish appeals court has ruled.

    In a previous case from July 2014, Sweden’s medical products agency convinced the administrative court in Uppsala that nicotine-containing e-cigarettes should be deemed medical devices and that as many as 30 products should be banned from sale to consumers. An e-cigarette supplier in Malmo challenged the ruling shortly after, and the prohibition was lifted until the appeal was heard. Sales of e-cigarettes were allowed to continue during the appeals process.

    Following the appellate court’s most recent ruling, however, it is now illegal to import, distribute or sell e-cigarettes and nicotine-containing e-liquids commercially in Sweden, and violators could face penalties of approximately $80,000 per offense. Further appeals of the court’s most recent decision are planned and could result in another temporary suspension of the ban until a final decision is made by Sweden’s supreme administrative court. E-cigarettes and e-liquids that do not contain nicotine are unaffected by the ruling.

  • ‘E-cigarettes lead to tobacco cessation, not initiation’

    Two new United States surveys have found that 15-21 million U.S. adults used e-cigarettes regularly in 2013-2014; 3.2-4.3 million e-cigarette users no longer smoked cigarettes on a regular basis; and approximately 90 percent of regular e-cigarette users were/are regular cigarette smokers. The studies—which were presented in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, from Feb. 25-28 at the annual meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco—lead their authors to note that regular cigarette smokers were more likely to switch to regular use of less-harmful e-cigarettes than regular e-cigarette users were to transition to combustible cigarette use.

    The first study analyzed 30,136 people from the National Tobacco Behavior Monitor survey. Results indicated that 8.7 percent of U.S. adults reported regular use of e-cigarettes, of which nearly 90 percent reported regular use of combustible cigarettes. More than 97 percent of those surveyed in the first study reported regular e-cigarette use after regular cigarette smoking; 23.7 percent indicated that they no longer use combustible cigarettes on a regular basis; and only 1.3 percent of those who use e-cigarettes regularly reported transitioning to current regular use of combustible cigarettes.

    The second study—which analyzed data from the Total Tobacco Migration Tracker—involved 11,173 people and indicated that 6.1 percent of U.S. adults identified themselves as current, regular e-cigarette users, with more than 91 percent of those e-cigarette users reporting regular use of combustible cigarettes. More than 97 percent reported regular use of e-cigarettes after regular use of combustible cigarettes; 24.5 percent of those who regularly used e-cigarettes no longer reported regular smoking of traditional cigarettes; and only 1.7 percent of current, regular e-cigarette users reported switching to regular use of combustible cigarettes.

    The results of this study lead its authors to determine that smokers of traditional cigarettes were 13.5 times more likely to transition to current, regular use of e-cigarettes than current, regular users of e-cigarettes were to transition to regular use of combustible cigarettes.

    The studies were funded by RAI Services Co. and conducted by a team led by the company’s senior director of regulatory oversight, Geoffrey Curtin.

  • E-cigarette event in Europe

    Representatives of leading e-cigarette manufacturers and retailers are due to speak at the first Ecig Europe industry conference, to be held Dec. 4-5, in London, United Kingdom.

    The conference, hosted by Technology IQ, will provide e-cigarette vendors and suppliers with an opportunity to discuss key issues, including regulation, business intelligence and profitability, as well as supply chain management.

    Speakers at the forum will include Clive Bates, the Counterfactual; Adrian Marshall, ex-chairman, Nicoventures; Michael Ryan, chairman, E-Lites; Zair Al-Beyerty, CEO, Triplehalo; Nick Roman, commercial Manager, Vapelux; Michael Clapper, chairman, Vapestick Group; Atif Tanvir, director, U.K. Ecig Store; Jide Yao, CEO, Hangsen; Chris Dunhill, CEO, GDC; and Katherine Devin, operations director, ECITA.

    “The next 12 months will be pivotal for the e-cigarette industry, and this will be the place to find out how your business can thrive in the face of changing regulation and ever-more competitive landscape,” says Kate Love, head of production, Ecig Europe. “Our expert speaker line-up will offer their candid views on all the big issues affecting you now and in the future.”

    The program, speaker list and registration forms are available at www.ecigeurope.com.

  • Philip Morris embraces e-cigarettes

    Philip Morris USA will launch an e-cigarette under the MarkTen brand in Indiana in August, reports The Wall Street Journal.

    MarkTen is a disposable e-cigarette but can be reused by buying a separate battery recharging kit and additional cartridges. Made in China by a contact manufacturer, the e-cigarette is expected to sell for about $9.50.

    PM USA is the last of the major U.S. tobacco companies to introduce an e-cigarette in an industry-wide effort to diversify beyond the traditional cigarette business, which has become more challenging in the face of tax increases, smoking bans, health concerns and social stigma.

    Last week, R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co., a subsidiary of Reynolds American, announced it would start selling its Vuse e-cigarette to retail outlets throughout Colorado in June.

    Vuse was developed in-house by R.J. Reynolds R&D experts, and will be manufactured in the United States.

    In April 2010, Lorillard acquired e-cigarette maker Blue Ecigs. It has expanded into more than 80,000 retail outlets.

    Analysts estimate sales of e-cigarettes could double this year to $1 billion. Some have even said consumption of e-cigarettes could surpass consumption of traditional cigarette within the next decade. The Food and Drug Administration plans to assert regulatory authority over e-cigarettes in the near future.

    Electronic cigarette maker Njoy said Monday it had raised $75 million in financing from investors including Napster founder and ex-Facebook president Sean Parker.