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  • Italy: BAT Fined Over Heated-Tobacco Ads

    Italy: BAT Fined Over Heated-Tobacco Ads

    Photo: BAT

    BAT’s Italian division has been fined €6 million ($6.4 million) for “misleading advertising of a heated-tobacco product,” according to Barron’s. Amazon was fined €1 million for the same reason.

    According to the AGCM watchdog, BAT and Amazon advertised the Glo Hyper X2 and Glo Hyper Air devices without making “information about the tobacco/nicotine consumption connected to the use of these devices and the prohibition of their sale to minors” clear.

    The products were marketed “as simple electronic devices and mere design objects,” the watchdog said.

    “This is seriously misleading conduct, which induces the customer to buy a product that poses health risks and is banned for minors,” the authority said.

    An investigation into the marketing of the heated-tobacco products began in April 2023.

    BAT plans to appeal the fine, according to Bloomberg.  

    “We are clear that our products are for adults only, and we adhere to the highest standards of conduct to prevent underage use of any nicotine product,” a BAT Italia spokesperson said. “We cooperated with Italian authorities and implemented all suggested changes to our marketing immediately. While we acknowledge the decision, we plan to appeal.”

  • Glo Hyper Pro Launched

    Glo Hyper Pro Launched

    Image: BAT

    BAT has launched a new version of its Glo heating device. Glo is an alternative to smoking that doesn’t involve burning, producing fewer and lower levels of toxicants than conventional cigarettes.

    The Glo Hyper Pro device is lightweight, fits easily in consumers’ pockets and comes with improvements in performance, according to the company. With this new device, one charge takes approximately 90 minutes and lasts all day. Once charged, consumers can expect to use the device for 20 sessions in total.

    “We’re proud that today, over 8.8 million adult consumers now use Glo,” said Kingsley Wheaton, chief strategy and growth officer at BAT, in a statement. “This latest version is our most advanced yet, with a much improved user experience. We continue to listen to consumers and enhance our products so that they find Glo a satisfying alternative to continuing to smoke. Ultimately, BAT aims to support smokers to switch to these reduced-risk products in order to deliver benefits for consumers, society and our stakeholders.”

    The wider Glo range is sold in over 20 markets around the world. The Glo Hyper Pro device has been launched in Japan, Italy and Poland, with further global market rollouts planned during 2024.

  • Court Rejects Challenge to PMI Heating Patents

    Court Rejects Challenge to PMI Heating Patents

    Image: nimalGraphic

    The High Court of Justice in London ruled April 17 that Philip Morris Products’ (PMP) patents protecting a tobacco-heating technology are valid, reports Law360. The ruling represents a defeat for BAT and its Nicoventures subsidiary, which had sought to revoke PMP’s patents.

    While considering the patent valid, the court also said that BAT’s Glo heated-tobacco products did not infringe the patents, heading off an infringement counterclaim filed by PMP.

    The April 17 ruling is the latest chapter in an ongoing intellectual property dispute between the tobacco giants.

    PMP initially sued BAT and Nicoventures, claiming they infringed several of its tobacco-heating technology patents. This prompted BAT and Nicoventures to file counterclaims seeking to invalidate the patents.

    The proceedings have now branched off into several different actions before the High Court.

    In the current case, Nicoventures argued, among other things, that the PMP technology was obvious in light of a 1998 patent application referred to as “Pienemann,” which covers a “system for providing an inhalable aerosol.”

    While Pienemann, like PMP’s technology, has multiple heating elements, Judge Michael Tappin said that a skilled team would consider the multiple heaters to “mimic” one heater. Pienemann also did not specify the inclusion of a thin-film heater as seen in the PMP patent, instead describing a “graphite loaded sheath,” according to the judgment.

    Regarding the infringement claim, Tappin said that BAT’s Glo products did not infringe the patents because they did not include a method of allowing different parts of the heating system to be heated at different times.

  • Glo Hyper Under Scrutiny

    Glo Hyper Under Scrutiny

    Photo: BAT

    Italian regulators are investigating BAT and Amazon for potentially misleading advertising for the Glo Hyper X2 tobacco-heating product, reports Reuters.

    According to the Italian Competition Authority, the companies have made it insufficiently clear to consumers that Glo Hyper X2 is a nicotine-based product and that it is intended for an adult audience. The agency also said it had seen the product being marketed as “nicotine-free.”

    “The omission and/or deceptiveness of this essential information” in advertising could influence consumers’ decisions and expose them, “minors in particular,” to the risk of unknowingly damaging their health, the Competition Authority said.

    A spokesperson for BAT said the company was committed to responsible marketing in addition to the requirements set by local applicable laws.

    “We are available to cooperate with the Italian Competition Authority to ensure a swift conclusion of these proceedings,” the spokesperson added.

  • BAT Rothmans Releases New Glo Device

    BAT Rothmans Releases New Glo Device

    Image: somartin | Adobe Stock

    BAT Rothmans has released the glo Hyper X2 heat-not-burn device to the South Korean market, reports The Korea Times.

    “Glo Hyper X2 is a next-generation e-cigarette device that will lead the BAT Group’s smoke-free product business,” said Kim Eun-ji, BAT Rothmans’ country manager for South Korea. “We have not only increased the users’ convenience of the platform but also improved its design and portability.”

  • BAT Study Confirms Positive Impact From Switching to Glo

    BAT Study Confirms Positive Impact From Switching to Glo

    Photo: BAT

    The full results from a year-long study showed that smokers switching exclusively to Glo, BAT’s flagship tobacco-heating product (THP), achieved significant and sustained improvements in several indicators of potential harm associated with early disease development compared to smokers who continued to smoke. This included lung disease, cancer and cardiovascular disease.

    Published in Internal and Emergency Medicine, the results build upon the favorable changes reported at three and six months. The improvements observed were sustained over the 12 months of the study, adding to the weight of evidence that supports Glo as a less risky alternative for adult smokers who would not otherwise quit, according to BAT.

    “The results from this study are the most important data we have ever generated about Glo and for the THP category in general,” said David O’Reilly, director of scientific research at BAT, in a statement.

    “This real-world study allows us to assess the changes that adult smokers switching exclusively to Glo experience by assessing early indicators of potential harm associated with disease development. It provides much needed new evidence about the size of the change and durability of the effect switching completely to Glo can have and reinforces Glo’s potential as a reduced-risk product.”

  • BAT Launches Glo Hyper X2

    BAT Launches Glo Hyper X2

    Photo: BAT

    BAT unveiled its Glo Hyper X2 tobacco heating device in Tokyo on July 21.

    Building on the technology of Glo Hyper+, which launched in 2020, the Hyper X2 incorporates advanced induction heating technology encased in a smaller, lighter weight device. A separate boost function for faster heating, battery status LED indicator, a protective iris-shaped shutter and bold new colors complete the new hyper X2 offer, according to BAT.

    Hyper X2 works with existing consumables from the Glo Hyper series.

    “The launch of Glo Hyper X2—our newest, state-of-the-art heated tobacco product—marks another key milestone in our transformation as we build the brands of our future,” said Kingsley Wheaton, chief marketing officer at BAT, in a statement. “Since launching our first Glo product in Japan in 2016, we have built Glo into a billion-dollar global brand through our deep consumer insights, science and innovation.

    “Our multi-category portfolio offers the industry’s widest choice of scientifically substantiated, less risky and enjoyable products for adult smokers who are looking to switch. This is a further big step in accelerating our transformation into a consumer products business that defines itself by the consumer needs that we meet, rather than the products we sell.”

    “In addition, final results from our landmark one-year clinical study of Glo have provided important new data that adds to evidence supporting Glo as a reduced-risk product. In the study, people switching completely to Glo achieved significant and sustained improvements across many exposure and potential harm measures compared to those who continued to smoke, with many indicators similar to quitting.”

    Glo hyper X2 will be available in Glo stores across Japan and on the Glo and Velo official online store from July 25, 2022, and in convenience stores in Japan from August 2022.

    Glo products are available in 25 countries. The global rollout of Glo Hyper X2 will take place over the coming months.

  • BAT Launching glo in Cyprus

    BAT Launching glo in Cyprus

    Photo: Tobacco Reporter Archive

    BAT is launching its tobacco-heating product glo in Cyprus, according to The Cyprus Mail. The launch is expected to contribute to the economy and society in Cyprus, boosting employment with new jobs while supporting the country’s network of retailers and distributors.

    “BAT is on a transformation journey to build ‘A Better Tomorrow’ by reducing the health impact of our business,” said Vitalii Kochenko, general manager of BAT Hellas responsible for the markets of Cyprus, Greece, Malta and Israel. “We are proud to bring innovation and technology to the local market with BAT’s tobacco-heating product, putting Cyprus amongst the markets that the international group of BAT has chosen for this launch.”

    Glo hyper+ in Cyprus is BAT’s latest iteration of its tobacco-heating product. The device combines BAT’s latest tobacco-heating technology, induction heating, and will be accompanied by neo demi slim sticks, which are specially designed to be used with this device.