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Tag: vape

  • BAT Urges UK Retailers to Respond to Nicotine-Product Consultation

    BAT Urges UK Retailers to Respond to Nicotine-Product Consultation

    British American Tobacco continues to urge UK retailers to respond to the government’s consultation on proposed changes to the packaging, appearance, display, and marketing of tobacco and vape products before it closes Oct. 2. BAT UK and Ireland Commercial Director Tolga Kilic said retailers’ experience should inform the final regulations and urged them to highlight potential operational and financial impacts.

    Kilic cited the government’s impact assessment, which estimates vape retailers could face more than £420 million in cumulative lost profits through 2036 from proposed point-of-sale display restrictions. The consultation also covers product packaging, flavor descriptions, and other measures affecting the sale and presentation of nicotine products.

  • VTA Launches Ad Campaign on Vaping Regs

    VTA Launches Ad Campaign on Vaping Regs

    The Vapor Technology Association (VTA) launched a seven-figure cable, broadcast, and digital advertising campaign urging President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to replace the FDA’s current Premarket Tobacco Product Application (PMTA) framework with what the trade group describes as clear, science-based guidance for vapor products. The campaign is running on Fox News programming, Truth Social, and X. VTA said the campaign cites a poll showing 71% support for replacing the current PMTA rules with scientific guidelines.

    VTA said the campaign follows an August 2026 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit involving the FDA’s PMTA process. VTA Executive Director Tony Abboud said the proposed framework would provide clearer requirements for manufacturers while strengthening enforcement against noncompliant products.

  • Taiwan to Raise Penalties for Bringing in E-cigarettes

    Taiwan to Raise Penalties for Bringing in E-cigarettes

    Taiwan’s Ministry of Finance announced plans to raise penalties for illegally bringing e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and related components into the country. Amendments to customs anti-smuggling rules will remove the existing exemption from fines for tobacco-related products with a customs value of NT$5,000 ($160) or less, while fines for violations involving these products will be higher than those for most other controlled goods.

    Customs data show 1,346 e-cigarette seizures last year involving about 120,000 devices and 33,000 bottles or cartridges of e-liquid. In the first eight months of 2026, authorities recorded 726 cases involving 35,000 devices and 40,000 bottles or cartridges of e-liquid. Seized products will be confiscated, and individuals may be referred to local health bureaus, which can impose fines of at least NT$50,000 ($1,600) under Taiwan’s Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act.

  • PMI to Launch VEEV E-Vapor Product in South Korea

    PMI to Launch VEEV E-Vapor Product in South Korea

    Philip Morris Korea announced that it will launch its VEEV e-vapor product in South Korea on Aug. 26 as the company expands its smoke-free portfolio in the country. KT&G currently leads South Korea’s non-combustible tobacco segment with a 48% market share, followed by Philip Morris and British American Tobacco.

    Philip Morris International said 42% of its $11 billion in second-quarter revenue came from smoke-free products. The company has invested 22.5 trillion won ($16 billion) in research and development for smoke-free products since 2008 and is targeting a two-thirds share of sales from smoke-free products by 2030.

    PMI Korea consumer experience director Kim Tae-hyung said the company ultimately aims to replace combustible cigarettes with smoke-free products.

  • Ireland’s HSE Warns of Risks from Unregulated Vapes

    Ireland’s HSE Warns of Risks from Unregulated Vapes

    Ireland’s Health Service Executive (HSE) warned that a lack of regulation of vapes and edibles is putting consumers, particularly teenagers, at risk after high-risk synthetic cannabinoids were detected in products sold in the country. Testing by the HSE’s Emerging Drug Trends laboratory found synthetic or semisynthetic cannabinoids in some nicotine and CBD products that had been tampered with. Of 76 vapes tested, 28 contained HHC, a semisynthetic cannabinoid banned in Ireland last year. Acetate was detected in 13% of tested vapes and, when combined with synthetic or semisynthetic cannabinoids, has been associated with lung damage.

    The HSE said large-scale testing would require a significant budget and called for the HSE, Department of Health, Food Safety Authority of Ireland and other stakeholders to establish a regulatory framework. Current testing largely relies on samples collected through festivals, addiction services and hospitals, while forensic laboratory testing can take six to eight months.

  • Judge Signals Uphill Battle for Vapes Challenge PA Registry Law

    Judge Signals Uphill Battle for Vapes Challenge PA Registry Law

    A federal judge indicated that vape companies challenging Pennsylvania’s new e-cigarette registry law will need to distinguish their case from recent appellate rulings that largely upheld similar laws in North Carolina and Iowa. During proceedings, the judge directed the plaintiffs to address decisions by the Fourth and Eighth U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals, both of which rejected key arguments that state registry laws tied to the FDA’s premarket authorization process are preempted by federal law.

    Pennsylvania’s law, enacted in 2025, establishes a directory of manufacturers whose products may be legally sold in the state, effectively limiting sales to products meeting specified federal regulatory criteria. Retailers challenging the measure argue it improperly enforces the federal Tobacco Control Act, conflicts with the FDA’s enforcement discretion, and would force the removal of millions of dollars in inventory from store shelves. Similar “PMTA registry” laws have been adopted in more than a dozen states as lawmakers seek to curb sales of unauthorized vaping products.

    The court’s comments suggest Pennsylvania’s case could hinge on whether the plaintiffs can identify meaningful legal distinctions from the North Carolina and Iowa precedents.

  • China Identifies E-Cigarettes as Trade Friction Hotspot

    China Identifies E-Cigarettes as Trade Friction Hotspot

    China’s Global Economic and Trade Friction Index identified the electronics industry — including drones, semiconductors, and e-cigarettes — as one of the sectors facing the highest levels of China-related trade friction in May 2026, according to the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT). Speaking at a July 31 press conference, CCPIT said India’s China-related trade friction index ranked highest among monitored markets, while the United States launched 17 trade remedy investigations during the month, more than three times the total initiated by all other countries combined.

  • Experts Recommend Physicians Use Vape to Help Smokers Quit

    Experts Recommend Physicians Use Vape to Help Smokers Quit

    Researchers from the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco Treatment Network published new recommendations in the JAMA encouraging healthcare providers to discuss nicotine e-cigarettes as a potential harm reduction option for adults who smoke and have been unable or unwilling to quit using FDA-approved cessation methods. The guidance, published July 30, emphasizes patient-centered, shared decision-making and is intended only for adults who smoke, not for youth or non-tobacco users. The authors stress that completely quitting combustible cigarettes remains the preferred outcome and that adults who switch to e-cigarettes should fully replace cigarette smoking rather than continue dual use.

    Among the authors is Patricia Cioe, professor and associate dean for research and scholarship at the University of Rhode Island College of Nursing, who was the only nurse scientist on the expert panel. Cioe said her perspective on tobacco harm reduction evolved through years of clinical practice and research, including interviews with adults who described repeated unsuccessful quit attempts despite strong motivation to stop smoking. She said those experiences underscored the need for clinicians to “meet patients where they are” by discussing all evidence-based options that may reduce the harms of continued cigarette smoking.

    The recommendations reflect growing discussion within the medical community around tobacco harm reduction while reaffirming that smoking cessation remains the optimal health goal. The authors say clinicians should individualize treatment conversations based on each patient’s circumstances, particularly for smokers who have not succeeded with conventional cessation therapies.

  • Pilot Study Promising as AIR Invests $20M in Greentank

    Pilot Study Promising as AIR Invests $20M in Greentank

    AIR Global announced a $20 million investment in vaporization technology company Greentank Innovations, deepening a strategic partnership established in 2023. The investment gives AIR preferred shares based on a $170 million pre-money valuation, a warrant to increase its stake by an additional 20% over the next two years, a board nomination right, and enhanced commercial and technology access. AIR said the investment supports its growth strategy in reduced-risk nicotine products and its planned U.S. premarket tobacco product application for its Crown Switch vape.

    AIR also released results from an independent pilot study of its Greentank-powered Crown Switch device, reporting low or non-detectable levels of several harmful or potentially harmful constituents in the aerosol. According to the company, carbon monoxide, benzene, and 1,3-butadiene were not detected, while formaldehyde, nickel, and other constituents were reported at lower levels than published data for certain FDA-authorized e-cigarettes. AIR said the preliminary findings will be presented at the 2026 Tobacco Science Research Conference and will form part of its PMTA submission, noting that additional testing is underway and future results may differ.

  • ELFBAR Reports Low Harmful Constituents in its ELFA

    ELFBAR Reports Low Harmful Constituents in its ELFA

    ELFBAR is highlighting a new peer-reviewed study published in iScience reporting that aerosols from its ELFA pod system contained undetectable or substantially lower levels of harmful constituents compared with cigarette smoke under standardized laboratory testing. According to the company, 10 of 17 cigarette smoke-related analytes — including carbon monoxide, tobacco-specific nitrosamines, benzene, and 1,3-butadiene — were undetectable or below quantifiable levels, while formaldehyde and acetaldehyde were up to 99.9% lower than in cigarette smoke.

    The company also said detectable metal emissions, including lead, chromium and nickel, were well below established safety thresholds, with cadmium and arsenic not detected. ELFBAR said the findings support evidence that adult smokers who completely switch to its ELFA pod system could significantly reduce or eliminate exposure to many harmful constituents associated with combustible cigarettes.