It seems U.S. regulators are prepared to accept premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) for some flavored vaping products other than tobacco from a brand that already has a marketing authorization for its tobacco-flavored products.
A marketing authorization for a fruit flavor would be unexpected from U.S. regulators. And giving a flavored-product authorization to a major tobacco company would likely cause an uproar from a majority of the vaping industry.
According to media reports, Altria Group is finalizing its submissions to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to sell Njoy vape products in blueberry and watermelon flavors, CEO Billy Gifford said Wednesday at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY) conference in Florida.
Altria is already waiting for action from the FDA on a menthol version, he said. The company said it hopes its plans to employ Bluetooth technology to prevent underage use in a way it hasn’t yet detailed will be enough to sway the regulatory agency that has yet to approve a flavored e-liquid vaping product in a flavor other than tobacco.
“We’ve demonstrated the age-gating restrictions are effective at preventing underage access in virtually all cases,” Gifford said, according to a transcript of the company’s webcast.
Altria plans to get its regular tobacco-flavored Njoy vape products into 100,000 stores in 2024, up from around 75,000 last year, with new packaging, Gifford said. He estimated that the international opportunity to sell heated tobacco and vape products is worth $35 billion to $50 billion.
After encouraging results from the launch of its larger-sized oral nicotine pouches, On! Plus, in Sweden, Altria plans to expand distribution there, and launch the On! Plus products in the U.K. this year, according to CFO Salvatore Mancuso.