China’s State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA) has appointed Liu Sanjiang as its deputy director, reports 2Firsts.
Previously, Liu served as the director of the department of quality development at the State Administration for Market Regulation,
This appointment follows a series of corruption investigations targeting senior STMA officials.
The STMA is the country’s official regulatory body overseeing the tobacco industry and market, including NGPs such as e-cigarettes.
Bangladesh will ban the import of e-cigarettes and related products, reports bdnews24.
According to a statement issued by the cabinet division, the health services division proposed to take urgent measures to ban the import of all products tied to the electronic nicotine delivery systems or e-cigarettes “to protect public health and keep future generations safe.”
After the discussion, it was decided that e-cigarettes will be included in the list of banned products in the import policy order of the ministry of commerce.
Philip Morris International’s subsidiary Swedish Match North America (SMNA) will pay $1.2 million to settle an investigation into violations of Washington D.C.’s flavored tobacco ban.
The District of Columbia attorney general’s office said it had found evidence that SMNA facilitated online sales of “tens of thousands” of flavored Zyn nicotine pouches to D.C. consumers between October 1, 2022, when the ban was enacted, and June 30, 2024.
PMI, which acquired a 90% stake in Swedish Match for $16 billion in November 2022, must now monitor its distributor’s compliance with D.C.’s ban quarterly and stop sales of flavored Zyn pouches through Zyn.com and related e-commerce platforms, the AG’s office said on Friday.
Nicotine pouches became the second most commonly used tobacco product in the U.S., according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The tobacco giant suspended sales on Zyn.com after it had been issued a subpoena by the D.C. attorney general earlier this year, according to Reuters reports.
Swedish Match would continue to focus on its brick-and-mortar stores, PMI said in an emailed statement. Sales of Zyn, which PMI says does not contain tobacco, have surged, growing 41.1% in PMI’s most recent quarterly results.
The company, which has been looking to move beyond traditional cigarettes, has also expanded production to counter Zyn supply shortages in the U.S. amid a budding black market for nicotine pouches.
Northerner, an online seller of smokeless tobacco and nicotine products for 25 years, said starting this month, it will exclusively sell tobacco-free nicotine pouches and other modern oral nicotine products.
The announcement marks a new chapter in the company’s commitment to public health and the tobacco harm reduction movement, the Missouri City, Texas-based company said.
“Having been in the smokeless tobacco business for 25 years, the decision to move away from tobacco has not been easy,” said Sarah Krysalka, senior director of commercial partnerships and external affairs at Northerner. “But the trends are clear.
“More Americans are choosing tobacco leaf-free options, and we aim to stay at the forefront of this movement by offering the best assortment of modern oral nicotine products to meet the evolving needs of adult consumers.”
With the rise of non-combustible nicotine options like pouches, the company said it recognizes the need to adapt to the shifting market landscape and provide consumers with tobacco leaf-free and other modern oral nicotine product alternatives to combustible cigarettes, according to a press release.
“By leaving the tobacco market, Northerner will shift its focus to fulfilling the growing demand for nicotine pouches and other modern oral nicotine products,” said Krysalka. “Our goal is to cater to the changing needs of adult nicotine users while educating tobacco consumers about tobacco leaf-free nicotine alternatives.”
Northerner.com is a website operated by Northerner Scandinavia Inc, a U.S. subsidiary of Northerner Scandinavia AB and Haypp Group.
The Biden administration has proposed a rule that would significantly lower the amount of nicotine in tobacco products. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s efforts to counter the dangers of the chemical in stretch back to 2018, when it first proposed the idea.
Then, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf went even further in 2022 and announced that the agency was developing a rule requiring tobacco companies to reduce the amount of nicotine in cigarettes.
The next step in that effort occurred Tuesday when the FDA finally submitted its refined proposal to the Office of Management and Budget. There won’t be any immediate changes to tobacco products. The approval process for the Office of Management and Budget can take months. There will also be a public comment period, and the nicotine industry often sues the government to stop new regulations.
“A proposed product standard to establish a maximum nicotine level to reduce the addictiveness of cigarettes and certain combusted tobacco products, when finalized, would be among the most impactful population-level actions in the history of U.S. tobacco product regulation,” the FDA said in a statement reported by CNN on Wednesday.
When the FDA announced its initial plans to reduce nicotine in 2022, it estimated that reducing nicotine levels could keep more than 33 million people from becoming regular smokers, that about 5 million additional smokers would quit within a year, and that 134 million years of life would be gained.
In the draft proposal from 2018, which the FDA has since refined, it cited a 2013 survey that found that reducing the total nicotine content of cigarettes to 0.5 milligrams per rod would minimize addictiveness. Still, it also said that questions remain with respect to the precise level of nicotine in cigarettes.
The agency’s proposal was met with high praise Wednesday.
“Once finalized, this rule could be a game-changer in our nation’s efforts to eliminate tobacco use,” said Harold Wimmer, president and CEO of the American Lung Association. “Making tobacco products non-addictive would dramatically reduce the number of young people who become hooked when they are experimenting. To fully address the toll of tobacco on our nation’s health and across all communities, it is critical to reduce nicotine levels to non-addictive levels in all commercial tobacco products, including e-cigarettes.”
Not all smokers would quit if nicotine levels were limited, experts say, nor would all smoking-related diseases disappear since tobacco products contain other chemicals that can be harmful to health.
VPZ, a UK vaping retailer, is set to open 10 new stores by as part of a groundbreaking partnership with the supermarket chain Morrisons, with plans to expand further during 2025.
The new in-store outlets will expand the brand’s presence in communities throughout the UK, with
seven key locations in Leeds Hunslet, Birmingham Stirchley, Glenrothes, Peterhead, Darlington,
Stratford and Grantham.
The collaboration will also introduce a new innovative mobile pod concept for customer parking
areas, with two planned for Nottingham and one in Rotherham.
The partnership will drive positive change by making stop-smoking services more accessible in
communities throughout the country while educating smokers on the benefits of more sustainable
vaping products.
Greig Fowler, director at VPZ, said: “Our partnership with Morrisons to open 10 new stores is a
pivotal step in our mission to transform the health of our nation by empowering more people to
become smoke-free.
“I believe that together we will be making it easier for smokers to access the resources, help and
education they need to quit smoking, while also offering a convenient and sustainable shopping
experience.”
Qnovia has raised $16 million in Series B funding. The financing was led by Blue Ledge Capital, Evolution VC Partners, Vice Ventures and Gaingels.
“This Series B financing marks a meaningful milestone for Qnovia as it provides validation for our RespiRx proprietary platform, our progress in the regulatory process and the potential for our inhaled drug delivery platform to improve patient outcomes. We are grateful for the partnership with our investors, who are committed to our vision of advancing the development of inhaled therapeutics for areas of high unmet need, starting with our focus on bringing innovation to medicines to support smoking cessation,” said Brian Quigley, CEO of Qnovia.
“Our recent infusion of capital will advance QN-01 beyond our Phase 1 clinical trial in the U.S. and support an MAA submission to the MHRA in 2026. We believe that the data we have generated for QN-01, which includes our positive first in-human clinical data and our nonclinical findings, significantly derisks our clinical development plan and accelerates commercial validation to support our MAA submission for an expedited path to revenue generation in the U.K. Overall, this financing brings us one step closer to our vision of transforming the treatment paradigm for smoking cessation for a population who has not had access to any new treatment options in several decades.”
Since its inception, Qnovia has raised $50 million to advance its proprietary inhaled drug delivery platform. Qnovia will use the proceeds from the recent financing to support the clinical, regulatory and commercial development of its RespiRx Nicotine Inhaler (QN-01) in the U.K. QN-01 has demonstrated clinical proof-of-concept in a first-in-human, Phase 1 study and received U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance of its Investigational New Drug application. In addition, the company will use the Series B funds to evaluate the feasibility of additional therapeutic indications in their pipeline.
“We are impressed by Qnovia’s agility and speed in navigating the complex regulatory framework for the development of novel smoking cessation therapies,” said Andy Roche, founder and managing partner at Blue Ledge Capital. “We are confident that their groundbreaking platform will revolutionize smoking cessation as well as drug delivery broadly as a result of its dose-to-dose consistency and favorable pharmacokinetic profile. We are honored to share that journey with the Qnovia team.”
The Welsh government has backed a ban on the sale of disposable vapes in Wales from next June.
Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies said the move was a “major step forward in tackling throwaway culture and the environmental impacts of single-use vapes.”
He said the Welsh government was working closely with ministers in all the UK nations to implement the ban simultaneously, reports the BBC.
No single-use vapes can be sold or given away for free after June 1, 2025.
The Welsh government is urging businesses to speak to their suppliers about ordering alternatives, start educating their staff, and inform customers.
Businesses will also have to organize the eventual safe disposal of single-use vapes for their customers.
The Welsh government announced the ban in October after the UK government said it would stop the sale of disposable vapes in England from June 2025.
The Scottish government initially planned to introduce the ban in April but delayed it by two months to comply with England and Wales’ schedule.
There have been fears the appeal of vaping had spread to non-smokers in the UK.
Scientists estimated the number of adults in England to have started vaping despite never having been regular smokers had reached one million in October this year.
There were also concerns a ban could fuel an already growing black market of illegal vapes, which can have higher nicotine content.
The Dallas City Council in Texas approved adding vaping to its smoke-free ordinance Wednesday, restricting vaping and e-cigarettes in parks. The ordinance mirrors existing restrictions on smoking in specific areas, including all indoor and enclosed spaces, within 15 feet of building entrances, and on park property.
The change also requires businesses, such as restaurants, hotels, and fitness centers, to update their signage to clearly state that both smoking and the use of electronic smoking devices are prohibited. The new ordinance, which takes effect Dec. 11, 2025, is punishable by a fine of up to $500.
“This ordinance fortifies the City’s commitment to restrict vaping in public spaces after collaboration with our community partners and identifying the negative health effects of vaping aerosol exposure,” said Interim City Manager Kimberly Tolbert, as reported by media. “This is an exciting day because the approval of the ordinance closes an important regulatory gap and better protects the health of our residents from the negative effects of electronic smoking devices.”
In March, the city council’s Parks Trails and the Environment committee requested that the Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability and the Environmental Commission recommend updating the city’s smoke-free ordinance to include vaping.
A law taking effect on Jan. 1 will limit what smoke shops in Kentucky can sell.
Kentucky House Bill 11 will make disposable vape products illegal and place restrictions on other vape products based on their status with the Food and Drug Administration.
FOX 19 spoke with Jay Armstrong from Dripwell Vapors in Fort Wright, who said he opposed the law.
“I think it’s a huge waste of time, and all it’s going to do is hurt the legitimate businesses that are doing things right,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong explained that enforcement of policies like this seems to be lacking. He said that he rarely sees anyone come into the store to make sure they’re selling products that they’re allowed to sell.
“People are going to go where they can get what they want,” Armstrong explained. He believes stores will be selling banned products, while stores that follow the rules will lose profits.
Ben Chandler with the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky told FOX 19 that the new law would be a step in the right direction.
“It’s a start,” Chandler said. “It’s got lots of holes in it that need to be closed.”