Author: GTNF Trust Staff

Totally Wicked, the Florida-based electronic cigarette and e-liquid company, has said that it will close its US operations in the summer of 2018, and, in a parting shot, has castigated the US government and the Food and Drug Administration for their attitudes to the vaping industry.

The company said that with its deeming regulations the FDA was shutting down a vibrant industry.

‘With the stroke of a pen, the FDA is demanding fantastically unrealistic pre-market tobacco authorizations for a product that contains no tobacco, at a cost that is prohibitive to all but the tobacco giants, and bears no relations to the products’ risk or indeed, its remarkable potential when compared to the raging tobacco epidemic,’ Totally Wicked said in a press note issued through Business Wire. ‘It is designed quite simply to destroy the industry. By the end of 2018, there will be no independent vaping industry left within the USA – unless Congress decides to look deeper into this, or indeed the legal system is willing and able to hold the FDA to account for its fallacious representation of the risk impact that it has used to justify this regulatory abomination.

‘In 2018 we will be forced to close our business, but we are not going away meekly. We fully intend to use what time we have left to benefit our customers and inform as many people as possible as to the scurrilous claims emanating from the FDA.

‘We intend to give back to all those that helped us to become successful; to their friends and relatives yet to make the switch and to the American people who have embraced an ethical, hardworking, customer focused business and made us the company we are. We intend to offer all our products at even more affordable prices, ensuring that when the FDA does shut us down, as many people as possible will have benefitted from a product that Public Health England classifies as a minimum of 95 percent safer than traditional tobacco cigarettes.’

“Hence this announcement today [November 11],” said Fraser Cropper, MD. “We have a duty to be honest with our customers and our staff. It is currently impossible to see any way through the impasse the FDA is imposing on businesses like ours across the USA.

“While we will continue to support our customers and provide employment for our staff for as long as we possibly can, Totally Wicked in the USA will close its doors in the Summer of 2018, not because we want to, because the USA government is demanding that we do.

“Mealy mouthed platitudes will continue to be used to justify its actions and castigate businesses like ours and criticize our unwillingness to comply with ‘citizen protecting’ legislation, while the truth is denied an open sharing.

“What will be left is again a tobacco monopoly, which holds its ‘trophy’ vaping products up as talismans of change, while continuing to sell, endorsed and enforced by the USA government, smoking products that kill hundreds of thousands of American citizens every year.

“Corporate greed and craven political capitulation is the true story.

“This government and its federal bodies charged to defend and protect its citizens have failed the American smokers. While the majority of the rest of the world is moving towards an enlightened position on the transformational potential of consumer vaping products, the USA will retrench itself with a ‘year zero’ firestorm that is already alight in the USA and will consume all independent vape businesses like ours in Summer 2018. These are the facts.

“The FDA may want Americans to continue smoking; we do not.”

Eyeing a profitable future, Mistic E-Cigs has joined forces with Cosmic Fog to better serve the “vape shop” customer at traditional brick-and-mortar national retailers. Under the terms of the agreement, Mistic will serve as Cosmic Fog’s exclusive distributor to convenience, drug and mass retailers.

Starting in December 2016, some of Costa Mesa, California, USA-based Cosmic Fog’s most popular flavors will begin shipping to 5,000 traditional retailers across the U.S. in 30 mL glass bottles and 10 mL child-resistant, tamper-proof pre-filled Cosmic Fog Pods exclusively designed for Mistic’s new 2.0 Pod-Mod. Distribution is expected to increase to more than 20,000 stores by the first quarter of 2017.

Cosmic Fog has built a strong brand presence within the vape shop community over the past several years. The new agreement allows both companies to broaden their reach and continue to build brand recognition with all vape consumers, according to John Wiesehan Jr, CEO of Mistic, adding that all Mistic and Cosmic Fog e-liquids are made in the U.S. in ISO 8 class 100,000 clean room facilities.

“We are seeing a resurgence of e-cigarette sales in the c-store channel, which is further indication that smokers and vapers are still looking for alternatives to combustible cigarettes at traditional retailers,” said Wiesehan Jr. “Partnering with a great brand like Cosmic Fog, and offering their products that already have been available in the vape shop segment for years, makes perfect sense as we build our customer base by offering vapers more flavor options of high-quality, made-in-the-USA e-liquids that also can be used with our new Mistic 2.0 platform and other HAUS hardware.”

Offered in 3 mg nicotine strengths, each 30 mL bottle of Cosmic Fog will be sold in specially branded boxes and available in five flavors: Krew Berry, Krypto Melon, Milk & Honey, Neon Cream and Sonrise. Cosmic Fog also will introduce five of its top flavors as pre-filled pods to be used with the Mistic 2.0 Pod-Mod, a closed-ended personal sub-ohm vaporizer that enables consumers to easily change flavor tanks using Mistic’s pre-filled pod technology. Available in Krypto Melon, Milk & Honey, Neon Cream, Sonrise and Sugarfruit flavors, each Cosmic Fog Pod comes in a 4 mg nicotine strength.

“We see our partnership with Mistic as an opportunity to grow sales by leveraging Mistic’s vast distribution network of traditional retailers alongside their established Mistic brand,” said Rob Crossley, founder, Cosmic Fog. “Ultimately, it’s about providing alternatives to all smokers and vapers wherever they shop for vapor products, and this deal allows us to offer our high-quality e-liquids to new and existing consumers via new retail sales channels.”

R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company is expanding distribution of its VUSE VIBE closed-tank system to more than 25,000 stores across the U.S. this month.

“VUSE VIBE takes the popular vape pen format and simplifies it for adult tobacco consumers,” said president Brian Stebbins. “VUSE VIBE has more liquid, a bigger, longer-lasting battery and more vapor production than VUSE SOLO. It also has pre-filled tanks, so there is no mess from pouring liquids that comes with some products in the market.  It’s the perfect combination of performance and simplicity.”

“The device is sold at retail with a rechargeable battery, a pre-filled 2 ml. tank and a USB charger,” RJR Vapor said in a note posted on the Reynolds American website. “Sealed, pre-filled replacement tanks for VUSE VIBE are available at retail in packs of two.”

Tanks for VIBE hold four times the amount of liquid as VUSE SOLO and feature a more powerful battery that lasts longer than the SOLO battery. VUSE VIBE is available in four styles, including Original, Melon, Mint and Nectar.

VIBE uses puff activation, meaning there are no buttons to push or settings to figure out.

“This is the logical next step for VUSE, which has established itself as the vapor authority with VUSE SOLO,” Stebbins said. “VUSE VIBE addresses much of what we have learned from adult tobacco and vapor consumers during SOLO’s climb to the top spot at retail.  This is another example of our commitment to leading the transformation of the tobacco industry.”

A public health expert in the US has said that a Trump presidency and Republican control of the Senate could present an opportunity to craft a sensible regulatory strategy for electronic cigarettes and vaping products.

Writing on his blog, The Rest of the Story, Dr. Michael Siegel, a Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, said that from a public health perspective, there were many reasons to be concerned about the outcome of Tuesday’s election.

‘However, there is one reason to potentially be encouraged,’ he said. ‘With a Trump presidency, and with Republican control of the Senate, we ironically have a tremendous opportunity to once and for all craft a sensible regulatory strategy for electronic cigarettes and vaping products.’

Although the issue was not directly addressed during the campaign, Siegel said he would expect President-elect Trump to be supportive of vaping products and especially of the thousands of small businesses that were likely going to be forced out of business under the Food and Drug Administration’s current nicotine regulatory policy. ‘In addition, we know that there are several Republican senators (whose party will now control the Senate) who are sympathetic to the public health damage being done by current policy. Moreover, several senators have specifically considered holding hearings on the issue and are amenable to the introduction of legislation to chart a different course than the FDA is currently taking.’

The Rest of the Story is at: http://tobaccoanalysis.blogspot.co.uk/

ECigIntelligence says it was refused accreditation to attend the Conference of the Parties to the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which is currently in session.

About 1,500 delegates from about 180 countries are believed to be participating in the conference, which opened on November 7 at Greater Noida, a city close to New Delhi, and which is due to end on November 12.

In a note by contributing writer, Swati Gupta, posted on its website, ECigIntelligence said the WHO had been criticized for its refusal to allow representation from tobacco-related companies at the biannual tobacco control meeting.

It said the head of the FCTC secretariat Vera da Costa e Silva had claimed that the industry was trying to insinuate itself into delegations and proceedings. “If anyone doubts the importance of what we do here, always remember the industry’s malevolent presence and the strong need for transparency,” she was quoted as saying.

“Media representatives have reportedly also been excluded from the meeting, as they were in Moscow two years ago,” the note stated. “ECigIntelligence was refused accreditation but is continuing to cover the event with a reporter in Delhi.

“Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) such as e-cigarettes are on the agenda for the meeting, although the WHO’s criticism of all vaping alternatives has been dismissed by many specialists in the field.

“The WHO has released reports over the last two years dismissing e-cigarettes as an alternative to combustibles.”

ECigIntelligence ended its piece by saying that once again, the fight against tobacco’s health harms seems to be dominated by the WHO’s fixation on controlling the dialogue, along with its severe stand on all vaping alternatives to smoking.

Gupta’s piece is at: http://ecigintelligence.com/who-criticised-as-talks-on-tobacco-and-electronic-nicotine-systems-get-underway/

Japan Tobacco International has criticized the World Health Organization’s (WHO) approach toward so-called next-generation products.

“During meetings held behind closed doors at the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control’s (FCTC) seventh session of the Conference of Parties (COP7), taking place this week in Greater Noida, India, parties are discussing a WHO report recommending the excessive regulation of next-generation products such as e-cigarettes with the hidden aim of prohibition still clearly in its sights,” JTI wrote in a press note.

“A previous WHO ENDS/ENNDS report, published at COP6 in Moscow (2014) pressed Parties to ban or, at minimum, regulate vaping devices. Having now backed down on the recommendation, the new report does, however, recommend to ban advertising—which could help inform consumers’ choice on products that have the potential to reduce risks—and severely restrict flavorings. This is a clear attempt to diminish consumer awareness and acceptability of this category and is verging on a de facto ban,” wrote JTI.

“The vaping industry is developing new technologies all the time, so these latest pronouncements are not only another rush to judgement, but a perverse approach for a UN agency on health to adopt when, for example, Public Health England stated that, based on available evidence, vaping is likely 95 percent safer than cigarettes,” Ian Jones, JTI’s head of scientific and regulatory affairs for emerging products, was quoted as saying.

According to JTI, the FCTC was set up to rule on the regulation of tobacco products, but continues to venture outside its remit by proposing regulations on vaping devices, which don’t contain tobacco.

“Why is the FCTC COP making regulatory recommendations on e-cigarettes, or so-called ENDS, when the products contain no tobacco?” asked Ian Jones. “It does not and should not have the power to give itself a mandate on e-cigarettes because regulating, never mind prohibiting, in such a reactionary and ideological way means a setback for scientific research and development of potentially reduced risk products.

“Besides, we still don’t know who the ‘independent scientists’ of the WHO’s report on ENDS/ENNDS are, which in the current climate of conflicting science begs the question: what have they got to hide? A more considered approach is required, than cherry picking the worse-case studies and making unsubstantiated ‘guesses’ on expected health risks.”

British American Tobacco said today that it was launching glo, which it describes as a tobacco heating product that is a revolution in simplicity.

The new product is due to be made available from next month through retail outlets in Japan, which was chosen as the launch market because it is seen as being a global leader for innovation.

Glo, which heats rather than burns tobacco, is said to provide a similar experience to that of a standard cigarette. However, heating rather than burning the tobacco is said to deliver a cleaner experience with around 90 percent “less toxicants” than are delivered by a standard cigarette.

The new product was described in a noted posted on BAT’s website as a truly innovative product that was “[d]esigned in the UK, involving over 100 experts across five continents including scientists, engineers, designers, tobacco experts and toxicologists.

“The ‘one unit, one button’ device is simple and intuitive, with one single charge lasting more than 30 sessions based on back-to-back usage.

“We are absolutely committed to inspiring products and that’s why we are continuously innovating and offering consumers fantastic choices,” Kingsley Wheaton, MD of Next Generation Products at BAT, was quoted as saying.

“Following an extensive program of research and development, glo has been developed by our leading scientists and experts. BAT has invested over USD$1billion in the last five years in the development, scale-up and launch of next generation products.”

Glo is said to heat proprietary Kent Neostiks to about 240 Celsius to provide a highly satisfying taste, similar to that of a cigarette, but with about 90 percent “less toxicants.”

It offers also other advantages, including: no burning or ash, and less odor on hands, hair, clothes and surroundings.

Regular use of electronic cigarettes by young people in the UK remains rare and is most common among those who currently smoke or have previously smoked, according to the results of a YouGov survey commissioned by ASH.

This is said to indicate that it is unlikely that electronic cigarettes are currently acting as a gateway, something which leads causally to smoking.

From 2013 onward, YouGov has been commissioned by ASH to conduct an annual online survey of young people aged between 11 and 18, called Smokefree GB Youth Survey. It includes questions on electronic cigarettes. The most recent Smokefree GB Youth Survey was carried out in March and April 2016 and relevant comparisons with the results from previous years have been presented in an ASH Fact File.

The latest survey found also that a growing proportion of young people believed that vaping electronic cigarettes was as harmful as smoking tobacco.

And it found that rechargeable tanks and fruit flavors were the most popular types of electronic cigarettes and e-liquids among young people both for experimentation and regular use.

According to the Fact File, in 2016 only five percent of 11-18 year olds said they had not heard of electronic cigarettes, down from 30 percent in 2013.

Twelve percent of those surveyed had tried electronic cigarettes at least once, whereas in 2015 the figure was 13 percent.

In 2016 more young people (19 percent) had tried smoking than had tried electronic cigarettes (10 percent), and 57 percent of those using electronic cigarettes had tried tobacco first.

Regular use (once a month or more) of electronic cigarettes was rare and largely found among children who currently or had previously smoked. Two percent of respondents said they used electronic cigarettes more than once a month, including one percent who used them weekly. These figures were similar to those of 2015.

The proportion of American adults who perceive e-cigarettes to be equally or more harmful than traditional cigarettes has tripled over the last few years, highlighting the need for more accurate public health messaging, according to a study led by tobacco researchers in the School of Public Health at Georgia State University.

“Although the impact of long-term use of e-cigarettes on health is still unknown,” the study states, “the available scientific evidence indicates that e-cigarettes are less harmful than combustible cigarettes, and that smokers switching to e-cigarettes could benefit from a decrease in health risks related to smoking combustible cigarettes.”

Researchers looked at data from the Tobacco Products and Risk Perception surveys from 2012 through 2015 to examine changes in how adults in the United States perceived the relative harm and addictiveness of e-cigarettes. The surveys were conducted nationally in 2012, 2014 and 2015 by the Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science (TCORS) at the School of Public Health. Nearly 16,000 adults completed the surveys.

The study results are published in the American Journal of  Preventive Medicine in an article titled “Changing Perceptions of Harm of E-Cigarettes among U.S. Adults, 2012-2015.” The study’s lead author is Dr. Ban Majeed, a postdoctoral research associate with TCORS in the School of Public Health.

According to the survey, 35 percent of adult smokers perceived e-cigarettes to be equally or more harmful than combustible cigarettes in 2015—a sizeable increase over the nearly 12 percent who reported that perception in 2012. Also, the proportion of adult smokers who thought e-cigarettes were addictive more than doubled from 25 percent in 2012 to nearly 57 percent in 2015. Similar trends were seen in non-smoking adults.

“The findings underscore the urgent need to convey accurate information to the public, especially adult smokers, about the available scientific evidence of the harm of e-cigarettes compared to combustible cigarettes,” the study stated.

“Our public health messages should accurately convey to cigarette smokers that switching completely to e-cigarettes would reduce their risks even if e-cigarettes are addictive and not risk-free,” said one of the study’s authors, Dr. Michael Eriksen, dean of Georgia State’s School of Public Health and a globally recognized expert in tobacco control.

The study’s authors include other TCORS researchers: Dr. Scott Weaver, assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics; research specialist Carrie Whitney; and Dr. Terry Pechacek, professor of health management and policy, as well as Dr. Kyle Gregory, a former Georgia State TCORS researcher and current healthcare attorney, and Dr. Paul Slovic, president of Decision Research and a member of the psychology faculty at the University of Oregon.

Research reported in this publication was supported by grant number P50DA036128 from the National Institute of Drug Abuse and FDA Center for Tobacco Products (CTP). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH or the Food and Drug Administration.

While nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) can help to control weight gain and help smokers to quit, researchers have suggested that nicotine-containing e-cigarettes might be a better option.

“People can change their nicotine content, so to quit smoking they might start off on a higher strength e-liquid and then they can taper down really quite gradually in a much more sophisticated way than they can with NRT, which is probably good for weight maintenance and for weight loss,” said co-author Linda Bauld, professor of health policy at the University of Stirling and deputy director of the UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies. The huge range of e-liquids available, she adds, could also help prevent snacking, particularly given the number of sweet and fruit flavors on offer, according to an article published in The Guardian.

The authors note that a drop in the prevalence of smoking is among the factors that have been linked to increasing rates of obesity, meaning new approaches to manage weight gain could prove valuable.

Published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research by scientists from New Zealand and Stirling, the paper looked at a range of studies exploring the influence of nicotine on the body, as well as the relationships between aroma, taste and flavor and the feeling of fullness, to moot the potential for e-cigarettes in managing weight gain among smokers trying to kick the habit.

The authors suggest that e-cigarettes, with their myriad flavors, could potentially help to tackle cravings for certain foods. What’s more, the study suggests that the physical processes involved in filling an e-cigarette could reduce the urge to eat.

“You are re-filling the e-liquids, you might be mixing your own liquids, you are trying different flavours, you are doing things with your hands that take up time which means maybe you are not reaching for the bowl of M&Ms,” said Bauld.

Despite noting concerns raised by some around the safety of long-term e-cigarette use, Bauld says the research points to the benefits of using nicotine-containing products for smokers planning to quit.

“One of the things this paper says is [that] probably we shouldn’t be so worried about longer-term nicotine use, particularly if it can help people not put on weight – which we know is a bit risk factor for diabetes and a lot of other things,” she said.

But, the authors note, much more research is need. They highlight a number of avenues that should be explored, from trials into the effects of vaping on weight gain among smokers attempting to quit, to the impact of different e-liquids on feelings of fullness.

“We are not suggesting that we should promote e-cigarettes to people who haven’t smoked,” said Bauld. “But for people who are thinking about the best way to stop smoking and are concerned about weight gain, I think what we are suggesting is that e-cigarettes should certainly be considered.”

Paul Aveyard, professor of behavioural medicine at the University of Oxford, said it was “almost certain” that nicotine-containing e-cigarettes would reduce weight gain among smokers attempting to quit. But, he cautioned, the possible benefits of e-cigarettes in managing weight gain among ex-smokers did not mean that they could benefit non smokers’ attempts to lose weight.

What’s more, he added, with some evidence that nicotine could play a role in the development of diabetes, there may be down sides to the use of such devices, even if they do help smokers keep the weight off. “That balance between the two effects is not known,” he said.

Amanda Sandford, from Action on Smoking and Health said: “The risk of putting on weight when quitting smoking is a common concern and can discourage smokers from trying to stop. E-cigarettes are a safer alternative to tobacco and if they can also help people avoid piling on the pounds as well as helping them to stop smoking that is a real bonus.”