Tag: Featured

Stories featured at the top of tobaccoreporter.com

German Upper House OKs Ad Restrictions

Photo: Tuayai |Dreamstime
Germany’s Upper House has approved legislation that will further restrict tobacco advertising, according to Xinhua.
The legislation will begin to take effect in 2021: Movies will not be allowed to advertise tobacco products and the distribution of free samples outside specialty stores will not be allowed. Beginning in 2022, outdoor advertising for conventional tobacco products will be banned. From 2023, the ban will include tobacco heaters, and in 2024, the ban will include e-cigarettes.
Germany is currently the only European Union country to still allow tobacco advertising in public spaces.
“Many studies prove that tobacco advertising increases the attractiveness of tobacco products, in particular among children and young people,” said Klaus Reinhardt, president of the German Medical Association.
The ban is aimed at protecting public health and the health of young people.
September 21, 2020
Hoffmann Webinar on Cannabis Packaging

Illustration: Hoffmann Neopac
Hoffmann Neopac will host a webinar exploring best packaging practices for the burgeoning North American cannabis market. Scheduled for Sept. 29 at 2 pm EST, the hour-long webinar will feature executive-level Hoffmann Neopac presenters well-versed in the cannabis packaging landscape.
The presentation will feature customer case studies, in which cannabis manufacturers who have partnered with Hoffmann Neopac share insight on differentiating brands in an increasingly competitive marketplace via child-resistant, sustainable packaging solutions.
Those attending will receive an in-depth overview on the state-by-state U.S. medicinal and recreational regulations, and on business trends for various cannabis formats—including edibles, flowers, pre-rolls, tobacco and creams—on which marijuana is leaving its mark. Presenters will also provide an update on the sector’s strength as it emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The webinar will also highlight Hoffmann Neopac’s dual packaging specialties—tins and tubes—and how they can be employed to meet child-resistance requirements and sustainability demands while providing exemplary product protection and on-shelf aesthetics.

September 21, 2020
Kunze-Concewitz Joins Imperial Brands’ Board

Imperial Brands has appointed Bob Kunze-Concewitz to the board effective Nov. 1, 2020.
Kunze-Concewitz has a wealth of international business experience and is particularly skilled at marketing, having held a number of senior roles at leading fast-moving consumer goods companies. These include Global Prestige Products corporate marketing director at Procter & Gamble and group marketing director at Campari Group. He has been the chief executive officer of Campari Group for the past 13 years.
“I am delighted to welcome Bob to the board,” said Therese Esperdy, chair of Imperial Brands’ board in a statement. “He has a strong track record of successfully executing brand and marketing strategies, and his experience and expertise will be a great addition to the board’s skill set.”
Kunze-Concewitz will also join the remuneration committee effective Nov. 1, 2020.
September 21, 2020
TTI to Start Distribution of Synthetic Nicotine

Photo: Martinmark – Dreamstime.com
Tobacco Technology Inc. (TTI) and its wholly owned subsidiaries e-LiquiTech and TTI Flavors will start distributing their patented SyNic synthetic (S)- nicotine in November.
SyNic USP/EP, SyNic nicotine bitartrate and SyNic polacrilex resin are manufactured in U.S. Food and Drug Administration-registered current good manufacturing practices facilities. These products have confirmed purity levels of more than 99.9 percent, (S)- levels of more than 99.7 percent and are free of tobacco-specific nitrosamines and carcinogens.
“Coupled with e-LiquiTech’s exclusive distribution, competitive pricing and carrying the eLiquiTech guarantee, these products will be available only to responsible partners operating within the regulatory guidelines of the global tobacco industry,” TTI said in an announcement.
For more information, please send an e-mail to sales@eLiquiTech.com.
September 21, 2020
Ashrafian Joins BAT as Chief Medical Officer

Photo: BAT
British American Tobacco (BAT) has appointed Hutan Ashrafian as chief medical officer.
Ashrafian will be responsible for overall medical governance and ensuring robust medical processes and oversight are applied to all aspects of BAT’s clinical studies and post-market surveillance.
In a press note, BAT said it is committed to reducing the health impact of its business through offering a range of enjoyable and less risky products. According to the company, Ashrafian will play a key role in the ongoing development and expansion of BAT’s multi-category approach, which offers consumers a wide range of potentially lower risk alternatives to cigarettes including e-cigarettes, tobacco heated products and modern oral nicotine pouches.
Specifically, he will provide medical oversight to both BAT’s human research committee and product stewardship council. Ashrafian will also play an important role in helping to define and generate evidence that supports and substantiates the tobacco harm reduction potential of BAT’s new categories from a disease perspective.
“We are delighted to have Hutan join BAT and become a member of the R&D leadership team,” said David O’Reilly, BAT’s director of scientific research. “The chief medical officer has always been a critical role at BAT as we strive to ensure all of the studies we undertake are of the highest standards from a quality and integrity perspective. His appointment will provide even greater confidence in our products for the science community and ultimately, consumers. It also demonstrates our ongoing commitment to delivering ‘A Better Tomorrow’ by ensuring the quality and efficacy of our new category products.”
Ashrafian is a senior clinician-scientist and surgeon. He has led large research and clinical teams, working at population and precision medicine levels, to achieve the highest quality real world evidence and translational healthcare. He has extensive experience in strategy and driving national and international health policy with cabinet-level politicians, civil servants, and heads of state.
Ashrafian qualified in medicine at University College London where he was also awarded an honors degree in immunology and cell pathology. His training in surgery also led to the award of the Arris & Gale lectureship at the Royal College of Surgeons of England. He holds a PhD in computational physiology and metabolic surgery from Imperial College London and a health economics-focused MBA with distinction from Warwick Business School.

September 18, 2020
Relx Opens Bioscience Lab to Research E-Cigs

Photo: RELX Technology
RELX Opens Bioscience Lab to Enhance E-Cigarette Research
RELX Technology has started operations at its newly established e-cigarette bioscience laboratory to conduct systematic research on the effects of e-cigarettes through in vivo and in vitro tests, as well as conduct pre-clinical safety assessments.
Located in Shenzhen, China, the bioscience laboratory is currently conducting research on the impact of RELX products on animal cardiovascular, respiratory, and nervous systems, to better carry out a comprehensive impact evaluation of vapor products.
“Science is the foundation of trust. As the industry leader, we have the responsibility to expand the borders of e-cigarette science and explore the unknown,” said Kate Wang, founder and CEO of RELX, in a statement.
At the company’s recent lab open day, RELX also announced its plan to establish a “1+4” scientific research approach—i.e. anchored by platform development, followed by toxicological assessment, clinical assessment, perception behavior study and long-term assessment.
“E-cigarettes are sometimes viewed with suspicion because we have incomplete knowledge,” said Yilong Wen, RELX Co-founder and head of science, research and development and supply chain, “The RELX bioscience lab’s mission is to explore the unknown. We want to collect evidence through a scientific approach and strive to prove the potential for e-cigarettes to be less harmful, and in doing so, provide users the option to choose an alternative.”
To ensure the reliability and quality of its products, RELX established a chemical and physical laboratory in 2018. The laboratory is certified by the internationally recognized China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment.
RELX is currently conducting research projects on different topics with six universities including the Sun Yat-sen University and Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, two hospitals and nine scientific research institutions.
September 18, 2020
Michael Koganov Joins 22nd Century Board
Michael Koganov
22nd Century Group has appointed Michael Koganov to its board of directors. Koganov will serve as chair of the company’s scientific and technical advisory committee and as a member of its finance committee.
Koganov is recognized as a leading expert in the development of natural products using plant biotechnology and has achieved considerable accomplishments in physico-chemistry, biochemistry, bioelectrochemistry and biotechnology.
Among other things, he is credited with developing electro-membrane technology for the comprehensive processing of plants to produce protein concentrates and secondary metabolites. Koganov co-founded IBT, which developed the proprietary and sustainable Zeta Fraction technology.
“We are excited to welcome Michael to our board,” said 22nd Century’s board chair, Nora Sullivan in a statement. “As a recognized expert in plant biotechnology and life science, Michael will further strengthen our leadership team with his highly relevant expertise related to the Company’s strategic, scientific initiatives.”
September 17, 2020
Britain Ups Personal Allowance for Tobacco

Photo: Taco Tuinstra
British passengers traveling to EU countries will be able to take advantage of duty-free shopping from January 2021, according to HM Treasury.
This means that passengers will be able to buy duty-free alcohol and tobacco products, where available, in British ports, airports, international train stations and aboard ships, trains and planes.
The amount that passengers can bring back with them from non-EU countries will also be significantly increased and extended to EU countries.
The new U.K. inbound personal allowances are 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco or 200 tobacco-heating sticks or any proportional combination of the above
Following its departure from the EU, the British government has been reevaluating import duties.
Health advocates criticized the new rules. “Anything that increases the availability of tobacco is a negative step for public health,” a spokesperson for the British Medical Association was quoted as saying by The Independent. “Each year there are nearly half a million hospital admissions in England because of smoking in England and nearly 80,000 deaths annually.”
September 17, 2020
MLT Cuts Production in Mozambique

Photo: Taco Tuinstra
Mozambique Leaf Tobacco (MLT) plans to reduce production in Niassa during the upcoming growing season due to difficulties of selling leaf during the Covid-19 pandemic, reports Club of Mozambique.
Claudio Ferreira, MLT manager for the Niassa and Zambezia provinces, told Noticias that some countries that are potential markets for Mozambican tobacco have reduced their imports significantly to protect the health of their citizens during the pandemic. Health experts believe the inherent risks of smoking are exacerbated by Covid-19.
“The World Health Organization has also been advising smokers to abandon tobacco, and these appeals are being listened to”, said Ferreira.
Ferreira said MLT will work with 36,500 smallholder growers this season, about 4,000 less than in the 2019-2020 year. The area under tobacco cultivation will shrink, he added, but did not say by how much.
Niassa Governor Judite Massenguele said the provincial agricultural directorate has already begun to persuade tobacco farmers to switch to crops such as cotton, soya and sesame.
The Niassa government is also eager to set up a tobacco processing plant in the province, believing that this will create jobs. But so far, no private sector partner seems interested in such a plant.
MLT, a subsidiary of Universal Corp., operates a tobacco processing plant in Tete Province.
September 17, 2020
Russia Mulls Tobacco Tax Hike to Boost Budget

Photo: Alexander Smagin
Russia wants to increase the excise tax on cigarettes by 20 percent next year to help plug holes in its budget, reports Reuters. The government is also eying the oil and mining industries for additional revenues.
The move, estimated to bring in around RUR340 billion ($4.54 billion) a year, comes as Russia faces a prolonged budget deficit amid weak oil prices and after Moscow offered Belarus a $1.5 billion loan.
“When it is difficult, everyone should be involved in solving the problems which the country and its people are facing,” Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin told a government meeting on Wednesday.
He described the proposal, yet to be finalized, as “slightly increasing taxes on a number of profitable sectors.”
September 17, 2020