Tag: Heat not Burn

  • Vaping Ban Begins in Taiwan

    Vaping Ban Begins in Taiwan

    The National Police Agency confirmed to Taiwan News that police can now issue on-the-spot fines of up to TWD10,000 ($330) to those caught vaping after Taiwan’s legislature passed amendments to Taiwan’s Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act.

    E-cigarette users can either be fined on the spot, or photo and video evidence can be used by the government to send the fines to violators’ registered addresses, similar to fines currently issued for smoking in nonsmoking areas, jaywalking and other minor offenses.

    The fine for vaping is now the same as for smoking in areas designated as nonsmoking, between TWD2,000 and TWD10,000.

    The amendments also increase the legal age for purchasing cigarettes from 18 to 20 and prohibit the sale of e-cigarettes and heated-tobacco products. Importers, manufacturers and sellers can now be fined up to TWD50 million.

  • PMI to Produce Terea Sticks in South Korea

    PMI to Produce Terea Sticks in South Korea

    Photo: PMI

    Philip Morris International has started manufacturing Terea tobacco sticks for its IQOS Iluma heat-not-burn (HnB) devices at its Yangsan plant in South Korea, reports The Korea Times.

    Unlike PMI’s Heets tobacco sticks, Terea sticks feature sealed tips that leave no residue, thus sparing consumers the inconvenience of cleaning their device after each use.

    According to PMI, the Yangsan plant has International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certifications for quality management (ISO 9001), environmental management (ISO 14001) and safety and health management (ISO 45001).

    The factory’s quality control team has obtained an internationally accredited testing agency certification from the Korea Laboratory Accreditation Scheme.

    “All the workers at Philip Morris’ Yangsan plant in Korea are proud of the fact that they are producing high-quality noncombustible tobacco products such as Terea, which contributes to the realization of the company’s vision of a ‘future without cigarette smoke’ and the development of the national economy,” said Philip Morris Korea Director of Manufacturing Zia Ahmed Karim.

    “We will continue to ensure quality control of our products and seek eco-friendly management in the future through providing better alternatives to adult smokers.”

    The Yangsan plant, which marks its 20th anniversary this year, employs 600 people. Since 2017, PMI has invested more than KRW300 billion ($225.83 million) in the production of noncombustible products at the facility.

  • Australia Rejects Tobacco Heating Products

    Australia Rejects Tobacco Heating Products

    Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive

    The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in Australia rejected an application from Philip Morris (PM) that would have allowed the sale of heated-tobacco products.
     
    This follows the Australian government’s ban on the import of nicotine-based e-cigarettes. Health Minister Greg Hunt planned to implement the ban beginning July 1 of this year, but the ban has now been pushed back to the beginning of 2021 to allow those who have been using e-cigarettes with nicotine to quit smoking combustibles to get prescriptions and end their addiction.
     
    The ban would make the import of vaporizer nicotine and e-cigarettes allowable only with a doctor’s prescription.
     
    There were 82 submissions in the TGA decision that supported heated-tobacco products, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration concluded that PM’s tobacco-heating product “is expected to benefit the health of the population as a whole.” The TGA received submissions from the Lung Foundation, Cancer Council Australia, Australian Council on Health and Smoking, and the National Heart Foundation, though, that stated their concerns regarding public health risks of heated-tobacco products. The TGA ultimately decided there were “significant safety concerns with heated-tobacco products,” according to news.com.au.
     
    “Study after study shows that scientifically substantiated smoke-free products that do not generate smoke, while not risk-free, are a much better alternative for adult smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke cigarettes,” said Tammy Chan, Philip Morris managing director. “It’s time Australian authorities recognize that many adult smokers will continue to smoke cigarettes—the most harmful way of consuming nicotine—unless the government rethinks its tobacco control policy. Smoke-free products can play a role in reducing smoking rates.”
     
    According to Chan, Australia’s stance on smoke-free products is at odds with other countries; heated-tobacco products are available in 50 other countries.

  • PMI Investigated for Tobacco Heating Patent Infringement

    PMI Investigated for Tobacco Heating Patent Infringement

    vuse_small
    Photo: R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co.

    The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has opened a probe into vapor products imported by cigarette giant Philip Morris USA (PM) after R.J. Reynolds complained that PM’s tobacco-heating system infringes Reynolds’ patents, according to a report by Law360.

    The investigation will determine whether the IQOS tobacco vaporizers marketed by Philip Morris and parent company Altria use tobacco-heating systems and sticks that violate patents for R.J. Reynolds’ Vuse vaping system. R.J. Reynolds seeks cease-and-desist orders barring imports of the allegedly infringing products.

    The patents describe a device that heats tobacco held in a removable cartridge to 350 degrees when vapors containing nicotine are released without producing smoke, according to R.J. Reynolds’ April 9 complaint to the ITC.

    R.J. Reynolds, which is owned by British American Tobacco, said Philip Morris has sold the alleged copycat IQOS system in the U.S. since October 2019 and has imported the product from manufacturers in Italy, Switzerland and Malaysia for years to use in clinical testing.

    “We believe the allegations are without merit, and we are fully prepared to defend ourselves,” Philip Morris spokesman Corey Henry told Law360 in a statement Wednesday, noting the company has spent $7 billion developing its smoke-free tobacco products over the past two decades.

    R.J. Reynolds filed a suit accusing Altria and Phillip Morris of six counts of trademark infringement in Virginia federal court the same day R.J. Reynolds filed its ITC petition. In that case, the company seeks treble damages and court declarations that Altria and Philip Morris have infringed its intellectual property.

    Photo: PMI