Respira Technologies has created a scientific advisory board and appointed Jasjit S. Ahluwalia as its chair.
According to Respira, the scientific advisory board to strengthen the company’s connection to the constantly evolving body of scientific evidence on the issues of tobacco use, harm reduction, nicotine and smoking cessation being generated by public health to guide the development of its technology and pipeline for current and future new drug applications.
“As a biotechnology company whose goal is to end the death and disease caused by smoking through the development of a breakthrough smoking cessation therapy, we must be guided by and have a deep understanding of the constantly evolving data and science generated by public health on issues important to our business,” said Respira Technologies CEO Mario Danek in a statement.
“We are thrilled to name Dr. Ahluwalia as Chair and the founding member of our scientific advisory board. He represents one of the best and brightest scientific minds with decades of experience in studying nicotine addiction and cessation. Having guidance and perspective from the most distinguished researchers in this space will be critical to Respira achieving its goal of contributing to eliminating preventable morbidity and mortality, and achieving health equity.”
Ahluwalia is a leader in academic research and public health focused on studying tobacco use, nicotine addiction and smoking cessation. He is a physician and public health scientist at Brown University.
Through his research, he has also investigated issues of health disparities and minority health broadly across multiple areas of substance use, cancer prevention and public health.
At Brown University, he is a professor, associate director of the Legoretta Cancer Center and deputy director of the Center for Addiction and Disease Risk Exacerbation, a NIH funded Center of Biomedical Research Excellence. Ahluwalia’s work has generated over 350 publications in leading scientific journals, and he has received over $100 million in research funding as a principal and co-investigator.
As chair of Respira’s Scientific Advisory Board, Ahluwalia will be engaged in the company’s scientific strategy, development of clinical research and leading engagement within the nicotine, addiction and cessation public health community. His broad healthcare research background will guide Respira’s current application and inform the company’s development pipeline to expand application of its proprietary drug delivery platform across a diverse spectrum of indications and patient populations.
“I have dedicated the last 30 years of my career to understanding nicotine addiction, cessation and the complex issues they create in our society, especially among ethnic minority and other vulnerable populations,” said Ahluwalia. “Respira has the potential to create a very significant impact on this important public health crisis. I am thrilled to be leading Respira’s scientific advisory board and look forward to assisting the company in its efforts to improve the lives of hundreds of millions of smokers looking to quit around the world.”
Respira Technologies is preparing to submit an investigative new drug application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2022, which will allow the company to begin human clinical studies. The company is pursuing a prescription designation for its portable handheld combination drug device for the indication of smoking cessation therapy.
The FEELM Air is a next-generation vaping solution that uses a new ultra-slim, bionic film ceramic coil.
By Timothy S. Donahue
The vaping industry can’t reach its full potential until the nicotine they provide can be absorbed into the body as effectively as a combustible cigarette. The new FEELM Air fully integrated vaping solution brings the industry one step closer to that goal. The FEELM Air offers several improvements on previous closed system vaping devices, including the next generation of FEELM’s industry leading ceramic coils.
FEELM Air brings together three new innovations for its Ultra-slim Bionic Film ceramic coil, calling the new coil the world’s thinnest ceramic coil vape pod solution. During a launch event in London on Jan. 18, representatives of FEELM and the flagship atomization technology brand’s parent, Smoore International, detailed several of FEELM Air’s technological breakthroughs in the vaping experience, including ultimate design, reliability, flavor and an exceptional interactive experience.
There are three major improvements to FEELM’s latest coil technology that are the cumulative achievements of a team of 500 scientists and nearly 7 years of research, according to FEELM representatives. “FEELM Air is the outcome of cross-disciplinary research, and a revolution to [the] ceramic coil, ” said Frank Han, president of FEELM at opening remark of the launch event. “It replaces the single-layer film with a 7-layer bionic ultra-slim film. The thickness of the film is reduced from 80 micrometers to 2 micrometers, which is 40 times thinner than the last generation.”
The overall improvements of FEELM Air are attributed to the device’s use of a new generation of Ultra-Slim Bionic Film (USBF) ceramic coils, which incorporates a seven-layer composite heating film made of bionic material for the first time in the vaping industry. FEELM representatives said that each layer leads to an equally enhanced functionality.
The second innovation in the USBF coil is its use of a Nanoscale Vacuumed Film-forming Technique to help the heating film distribute heat more evenly across the coil for accurate temperature distribution. The final innovation is a microporous bionic structure that provides smooth ventilation as well as a strong e-liquid locking layer to prevent any leakage.
Additional improvements to FEELM’s USBF coil allow the overall FEELM Air to bring additional major breakthroughs to vaping experience, including an integrated Micro-Electromechanical System (MEMS), the industry’s highest level of energy efficiency and its smallest linear motor, according to FEELM.
“It has the world’s first seven-layer composite heating film made of bionic material. Most of the existing ceramic coils are single-layered, and now we have a seven-layered composite heating film,” a FEELM representative explained to Vapor Voice. “It can improve the harm reduction and improve the energy efficiencies and each layer will lead to a corresponding functionality improvement.”
FEELM Air improves the overall harm reduction performance by 80 percent of previous generation ceramic coils. The numerous major breakthroughs the new device provides include:
The Hybrid Composites Heating Layer and the Nanoscale Protection Layer provide corrosion resistance, thereby reducing the emission of heavy metals by 78.6 percent. The temperature Control Layer with its thermal conductivity can reduce the emission of aldehydes and ketones by 80.7 percent due to localized over-heating.
In terms of energy optimization, FEELM Air boasts the world’s highest energy efficiency of 1.3mg/W, by virtue of three layers of composite materials. The Nano Silver Electro Layer can reduce invalid energy consumption while Porous Thermal Resistance Layer can effectively reduce heat loss.
The patented Microporous Flavor-LockLayer improves average flavor release by 33% percent. It’s terraced temperature zone and multi-layered atomization allow for a tailored flavor release in different temperature zones and produces aerosols in smaller particle size for consumers to taste the flavor thoroughly and allow for a lower lung absorption that previous generation coils.
FEELM Air also uses a second-generation of the company’s “puzzle leak-proof” technology that decreases leakage rates by 237 percent. It introduces an upgraded capillary structure and an innovative choke valve to prevent condensation, alongside a Superabsorbent Lock Layer can effectively prevent e-liquid splashing.
The innovative FEELM Air also uses the world’s smallest linear motor, which offers a unique “Shock-wave Mode”, that allows users to include delicate vibrations that allow consumers to feel the resonance in every puff. The power consumption of vibrations per charge is as low as 0.06 percent (equal to two puffs).
The FEELM Air also has industry’s first superpower management system TOPOWER, which allows for eight hours of vaping with only a 10-minute charge. The energy density is increased by 20 percent and the battery life is increased by 30 percent over previous generations, according to FEELM. The device also adopts an integrated MEMS, which functions as a reliable airflow switch, to improve the sensitivity of the device while preventing mis-activation.
“Ever since the launch of the world’s first black ceramic atomization coil with metallic film in 2016, FEELM has changed the whole competitive landscape, ushering in a new era of ceramic coil. It has largely enhanced harm reduction with accurate heating temperature control and revolutionized vaping experience with smooth and pure taste till the last puff,” said Han. “More importantly, FEELM has effectively addressed the industry’s pain points of leakage and dry hits.”
To keep up with the enhanced vaping experience the FEELM Air provides vapers, the company announced the launch of its second generation of the FEELM taste evaluation model during the FEELM Air launch event. To better understand taste experiences while vaping, FEELM introduced its first taste evaluation model in December 2020 that gave FEELM researchers the ability to describe the taste of atomization scientifically. Composed of four dimensions – flavor, strength, note and vapor – and 51 specific indexes, the model establishes a system to evaluate the human senses of mouth, tongue, nose and throat.
“Now, it’s five dimensions and 65 indexes. It’s more complicated in evaluating aroma, aftertaste, taste/mouthfeel, impact and vapor property. We built up an in-house sensory evaluation team. We have experts with certain backgrounds in tobacco science and vaping taste evaluations,” a FEELM representative said. “They team’s experience in the science of evaluating flavors ranges from 5 years to 13 years. They are the experts in evaluating vape ingredients.”
During the event, Han also announced a brand refresh for FEELM. The new brand concept is composed of five words: Feel, Engine, Exploration, Lifestyle and Memory, echoing the five letters of the brand’s name. He has also unveiled the new logo, which has the contour of ceramic coil in the shape of a window. It symbolizes “FEELM’s Window to Ultimate Sensation”, said Han. “The ‘open window’ stands for the infinite pursuit of a better sensory experience, representing FEELM’s commitment to ultimate sensation.”
The FEELM Air may be the bridging device that brings vaping magnitudes closer to the nicotine delivery and sensory experience combustible cigarette smoking offers, only in a format that Public Health England has said is 95 percent safer. It’s too early to tell, but the FEELM Air may motivate an even greater number cigarette smokers to switch to vaping than previous devices.
“Vaping devices loaded with FEELM atomizers have been exported to over 50 countries in Europe, America, East Asia, Africa and Oceania with an accumulated sales volume of over 3 billion pieces,” Han said. “FEELM has never stopped the constant exploration for ultimate sensation. By virtue of FEELM Air, equipped with the Ultra-Slim Bionic Film Ceramic Coil, FEELM is ready to drive another paradigm shift in the global vaping industry, leading the second sensory revolution of ultra-slim devices and ceramic coils.”
Recent amendments to China’s Tobacco Monopoly Law present an opportunity for responsible companies to demonstrate how alternative high-quality products are an important and appropriate element of tobacco harm reduction, according to Broughton.
Writing on the website of the contract research organization, Broughton’s head of regulatory affairs, Lloyd Smart, and regulatory consultant Xiangyin Wei summarize China’s tobacco monopoly law changes and explain what they means for electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS).
On Nov. 26, 2021, China’s State Council amended the country’s tobacco law, giving the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration jurisdiction over e-cigarettes. Next-generation products will now be managed in the same way as combustible cigarettes.
Among other things, this means that ENDS companies, including exporters, will need to apply for a license. A single transaction platform will be implemented for product distribution and all products must comply with a new national standard. Regulation of products likely to be introduced following an initial transition period of between three and five months, during which no new products may be brought to market. Products with synthetic nicotine will be banned in China.
According to Broughton, the recently announced changes to e-cigarette regulation in China offer an excellent business opportunity for companies that want to build consumer trust by showcasing their product’s high quality and safety standards.
“As with all regulatory requirements, the most important initial step is to understand fully what’s needed—to provide reassurance or identify gaps that need to be addressed. And to act quickly; seizing the opportunity while making sure you don’t get left behind as the market changes,” write Smart and Xiangyin.
A Philip Morris International Inc. affiliate has earned two federal patent victories involving its heat-not-burn (HnB) technology dispute with Reynolds American Inc (RAI). A three-judge panel of the federal Patent Trial and Appeal Board said Wednesday it had determined as unpatentable all RAI Strategic Holdings Inc. claims for the “915” patent and claims 1 through 12 and 18 through 30 for the “542” patent.
Credit: Bill Oxford
The “915” patent “relates to smoking articles that employ an electrical heating element and an electrical power source to provide an inhalable substance in a vapor or aerosol form, without substantially burning or completely burning tobacco or other substances,” according to JournalNow.
Meanwhile, the “542” patent “is directed to articles wherein tobacco, a tobacco derived material or other material is heated, preferably without significant combustion, to provide an inhalable substance … in a vapor or aerosol form.” The “542” patent is designed to create improvements and alternatives to “provide the sensations associated with cigarette, cigar, or pipe smoking, without delivering considerable quantities of incomplete combustion and pyrolysis products.”
In both cases, the decisions are the final word from the board. However, those decisions can be appealed for review to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which RAI has indicated it will pursue. According to federal law, a claim is unpatentable if “the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains.”
A group of 60 civil society organizations calling themselves the Sin Tax Coalition in the Philippines have called on President Rodrigo Duterte to veto an “anti-youth” and “anti-health” legislation legalizing the sale of electronic vaporizers and heated tobacco products.
Credit: Craitza
The measure, which merges Senate Bill 2239 and House Bill 9007, would lower the age limit of access to e-cigarettes and vapes from 21 years old to 18, transfer regulatory jurisdiction from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and allow multiple flavors to vape products, according to the Manilla Times.
The coalition said that the bill “contradicts the supposed intention of protecting the Filipino youth from addiction [to cigarettes].” Citing a 2019 Global Youth Tobacco Survey that showed that one in seven Filipino students aged 13-15 are electronic cigarette users, the expansion of access to these devices will endanger young Filipinos, thus stricter regulation is needed to prevent the epidemic of vaping-related lung injuries in the country, according to the group.
The group called on Duterte to fulfill his campaign promise and leave a legacy of protecting public health by vetoing the bill, noting that he issued an executive order banning the manufacture, distribution, sale and marketing of unregistered e-cigarette products and expanding the smoking ban in enclosed public areas. “Passing this bill is an utter disservice to the health, welfare and well-being of your constituents. It is anti-youth, anti-health, and pro-addiction,” the group stated.
Typical vaping devices use a coil made of resistance wire. Instead, the new Surge vaping device uses an ultrasonic vaping chip that vibrates 3 million times per second. The ultrasonic vibrations split the e-liquid into a cloud of vapor, without the use of a traditional heating wire.
Credit: Surge
“Ultrasonic heating creates smaller vapor particles, delivering nicotine content more efficiently for increased satisfaction. Since no wires are heated to produce vapor, dry hits and burnt flavors are eliminated from the vaping experience,” according to a press release. “Additionally, the lower working temperature of the ultrasonic process reduces potential toxin emission and maintains the chemical stability of the e-liquid.”
Surge Vapor hopes that its new approach to vaping technology can maximize harm reduction while increasing satisfaction for vapers.
Surge Vapors initial offering is developed for new vapers trying to quit combustibles. Its lightweight design, automatic draw activation and pre-filled ultrasonic pods currently come in six flavors, which have been specifically developed to pair with ultrasonic technology.
“Our mission was to create new vaping technology, which advances tobacco harm reduction and maximizes satisfaction,” according to the release. “After years of research and development, this is now a reality. We are excited for vapers around the world to experience the next generation of vaping with Surge.”
A new report from the American Consumer Institute (ACI) highlights the dangers of overregulating e-cigarettes and vaping products. Co-authored by Steve Pociask and Liam Sigaud entitled “How Regulations Endanger the Public Health: A Review of the Evidence on E-Cigarette Risks and Benefits, and Policy Missteps”, the report investigates the empirical evidence surrounding the consumer risks and benefits of using e-cigarettes and vaping products compared to using combustible tobacco products.
Credit: iQoncept
The report finds that::
E-cigarettes and vaping products, while not totally safe, are significantly safer than smoking – 95% safer by some estimates;
Studies also show these products are twice as effective in getting smokers to quit than other nicotine-based smoking cessation treatments;
Excessive regulation of e-cigarettes and vapes not only ignores the prevailing scientific consensus on health risks, but they deter cigarette smokers from switching to safer alternatives and push vapers back to the pack; and
Therefore, overregulating these proven harm reduction products will have serious health consequences for millions of American consumers who smoke.
“The overwhelming empirical research is clear and shows that federal, state, and local governments are in a misguided pursuit that eliminates a safer choice for smokers,” a release states. “This report provides much-needed clarity on an issue of profound importance for public health. As the authors note ‘informed by rigorous research, the U.S. can better chart a responsible course that encourages smokers to seek safer substitutes and quit, while protecting our youth from the dangers of tobacco products.’”
Thailand’s digital economy and society minister, Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn on Jan. 14 stated he would continue efforts to legalize e-cigarettes, according to the Bangkok Post.
Thanakamanusorn believes vapor products are safer than combustible cigarettes. He said legalization of e-cigarettes would enable the country to tax sales and would provide people who found themselves unable to quit smoking with a safer option.
The minister intends to create a working group to study legalization and invite people to sign in support of a request next month that the Constitutional Court rule if the ban on imports of e-cigarettes violates people’s rights, especially the right to have access to less dangerous products.
The minister insisted he had no vested interest in legalizing vaping. Tobacco harm reduction advocates have been pushing for legalization in Thailand.
Smokers’ rights campaigners have rejected a claim that smokers cost society £17 billion ($23.3 billion) a year in the U.K.—£5 billion more than previously estimated.
On Jan. 14, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) published an economic analysis of U.K. data suggesting that the cost of smoking is significantly higher than previous estimates have shown.
The higher estimate is a result of a new assessment of the impact of smoking on productivity. According to ASH, smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to become ill while of working age, increasing the likelihood being out of work and reducing the average wages of smokers. Smokers are also more likely to die while they are still of working age, creating a further loss to the economy.
The report also cites smoking-related fires as a major cost to society, in the form of fire-related deaths, injuries and property damage.
“The suggestion that smokers are a significant economic burden on society is absurd,” countered Simon Clark, director of the smokers’ lobby group Forest.
“More than 80 percent of the cost of tobacco in the UK is tax and the revenue from the sale of legal tobacco is almost £10 billion a year. That’s a fact.
“In contrast, the contrived claim that smoking costs society £17 billion is based on nothing more than estimates and calculations.
“As well as making a huge contribution to the public purse, smokers make a significant contribution to the local economy because without the money they spend on tobacco many village shops and convenience stores would lose a regular source of income.
“The health risks of smoking are well known. If adults choose to smoke that’s a matter for them not government. Ministers must remember that and not be swayed by exaggerated claims about the cost of smoking to society.”
Poda Holdings has received a U.S. patent for its closed bottom vaporizer pod. The patent was granted on Dec. 28, 2021.
“Receiving this Notice of Issuance is the culmination of a substantial amount of work by Poda and our intellectual property team,” said Ryan Selby, CEO of Poda, in a statement. “The application for this invention was initially filed on March 17, 2017. After almost five years of dedicated work and substantial financial investments, I am extremely proud to have this valuable patent granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
“With the granting of this U.S. patent, Poda will effectively be the only company that can market a closed-ended heat-not-burn cigarette in the United States. We have already received a granted Canadian patent for this invention, and we now look forward to receiving granted patents for this application in the over 60 additional countries where this application has been filed. We believe this patent has incredible applicability in the global heat-not-burn market, and we look forward to marketing our patented products on a global scale.”
