Duncan Hunter has been pardoned by President Donald Trump. The vaping industry knows Hunter as the ‘vaping congressman’ after becoming the first person to openly vape on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. In 2017, Hunter introduced a bill aimed at curtailing U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s ability to regulate vapor products.
U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter
Hunter, a former U.S. Representative of California was sentencedin March to 11 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to a single count of unlawfully using more than $250,000 in campaign funds, just one of 60 counts he and his wife, Margaret, faced at the time.
Court documents stated the former Marine and his wife racked up more than $37,700 in overdraft fees and stole the money to cover basic living expenses — including their childrens’ schooling, groceries and pet food for the family rabbits. They then splurged on big ticket items, including luxury hotels, airline tickets, and dinners.
Hunter’s 11-month prison sentence had been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and was set to begin in January. Trump’s full pardon means he will serve no time.
Juul Labs will withdraw from Germany at the end of the year, reports W&V, citing a company spokesman in Hamburg.
The company said it needed to set priorities in to be successful in the long term. “In this way one can invest in research and development and future products in core markets,” it stated.
German consumers will be able to purchase Juul products until stocks run out.
Following a wave of layoffs, Juul’s German subsidiary had only about a dozen employees left, which have now been terminated, as well.
Juul had already exited Austria this summer and plans to leave Switzerland soon.
The company, which enjoyed great success in the United States until a regulatory backlash, has found it challenging to crack the European market due to EU limits on nicotine.
Juul products sold in the EU contain significantly lower doses of nicotine than those on the U.S. market, making it difficult for them to compete against combustible cigarettes in Europe.
Recently, Juul was also forced to temporarily halt shipments in Germany because its packages were missing a mandatory recycling symbol.
More than 86,000 unapproved vaping products, worth an estimated $1.72 million, were intercepted on the way to the Lehigh Valley in eastern Pennsylvania, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.
The shipment from China arrived Sept. 18 in the United States, identified as “LED lights” and addressed to a location in Northampton County, officials said.
Instead of lights, the shipment was actually 216 boxes of about 86,000 Alphaa Onee Plus flavored electronic cigarettes. The flavors included mojito, apple blue razz, strawberry milk, energy drink and pomegranate strawberry, according to a story on lehighvalley.com.
CBP officers at the Port of Lehigh Valley in Allentown detained the shipment and contacted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Earlier this month, the FDA examined the e-cigarettes and determined they violated the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act as misbranded consumer goods being imported by an unauthorized agent.
Vampire Vape has sent its best-selling flavor into space. The U.K.-based e-liquid manufacturer sent its Heisenberg e-liquid into orbit on Sept. 18. A hydrogen filled balloon was launched, with a bottle of the liquid attached to it and eventual soaring up to 121,000 feet, before it popped and the deflated balloon and e-liquid returned to Earth.
Hydrogen was chosen due to its renewable energy properties, according to a press release.
The balloon’s journey was captured by a camera that was attached to the balloon, which recorded footage as it ascended into space and then descended back to Earth, where it reached an incredible speed of 250 miles per hour, the release states.
As the balloon came down, a parachute was deployed, ensuring a safe landing. The e-liquid bottle’s journey was monitored by a live radio tracking system and a satellite internet locator, and landed at a secret location. Vampire Vape worked with Sent into Space, leading experts in space-based marketing campaigns and stunts, to ensure safety and correct following of procedure.
The balloon expanded to the size of a double-decker bus as it made its journey through the stratosphere, the release states. The idea of sending the first ever e-liquid into space was devised by Vampire Vape founder Phil Boyle.
“In these testing times, the news is full of doom, gloom and negative stories – we wanted to create something unusual, creative and memorable, in the hope that it will make people smile. We also wanted to do something wacky and fun that our employees would love being part of,” said Boyle. “We’re always looking for ways to be innovative, forward thinking and different from our competitors, and are keen to reach new heights – what better way to do this than literally?! We’re thrilled that we’ve been able to pull this off and send our award-winning Heisenberg to new heights! I feel we have set the bar pretty high for whatever is next for Vampire Vape in the future. “
One of the largest vapor shows in the U.S. is changing its date due to Covid-19. Tobacco Media Group (TMG) announced today that the organization is moving its Tobacco Plus Expo (TPE) to May 12-14, 2021.
Generally a tradeshow scheduled at the beginning of the year, TMG had been moving forward with plans for TPE 2021 in January, with most of the show floor already sold out to exhibitors. The opportunity arose to move the show to May, and TMG recognized that the later timing would be better for the industry, according to a press release.
“A lot of work has already gone into the planning of a blockbuster TPE 2021, so when we were presented with the opportunity to move the show to May, we knew we needed to jump on it. It is our hope that the later timing allows the uncertainties surrounding Covid-19 to improve and gets us well out of range of the traditional winter flu season,” said Ben Stimpson, managing director of TMG. “Plus, the warmer weather of May gives us more options to safely execute the business and networking aspects of the show. We are committed to producing a successful TPE 2021 for all of our exhibitors and attendees and feel confident that this new timing has everyone’s best interests in mind.”
As TPE 2021 planning progresses, TMG will continue to gather safety insights and suggestions from voices within the tobacco industry and will release show details as they further fall into place. Additionally, TMG is working closely with the Las Vegas Convention Center and the Las Vegas Visitor’s Bureau to stay abreast of the latest safety guidance advisories for the city.
TPE 2021 will be held May 12-14, 2021 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The only thing different from the original TPE 2021 plan are the new dates. The exhibiting space, show floor layout, and convention center hall will be the same as initially planned when the show was in January.
Respira Technologies has appointed Brian W. Quigley, a 16 year veteran of Altria Group, as its Chief Operating Officer effective July 1. At Altria, Quigley served as CEO of its smokeless tobacco business from 2012 to 2018, a $2.3 billion business with over 800 employees, according to a press release.
Quigley will be responsible for driving Respira’s operational strategy, regulatory strategy, and commercial efforts with a focus on disrupting the tobacco market, nicotine replacement therapy market, and developing pharmaceutical applications through partnerships.
Respira has developed two proprietary drug delivery platforms, RespiRx, a zero heat aerosol technology, and Wave, a low heat aerosol technology. Both technology platforms are designed for safe aerosol-based delivery of drugs to patients and end users, without the creation of harmful by-products and compounds.
The company’s device platforms have applications in nicotine replacement therapies, reduced harm tobacco products, and pharmaceutical drug delivery with a total addressable market opportunity of greater than $1 trillion, according to the release.
Brian Quigley/Credit: Altria
“We are thrilled to have Brian join the Respira team as we prepare to enter the commercial phase of our company’s growth,” said Mario Danek, Respira’s founder and CEO. “Brian’s vocal leadership for responsible industry practices and harm-reduction combined with his impressive track record of driving business performance in FDA regulated businesses make him the perfect leader for the next phase of growth for our unique product platforms.”
Quigley said he is excited to be joining Respira Technologies at this critical moment in the company’s journey. “I look forward to working with our team, investors, and partners as we prepare to commercialize our proprietary drug delivery platforms,” said Quigley. “My goal is to help improve public health and patient outcomes across a range of inhalable therapeutic applications, including tobacco cessation and the reduction of risk associated with tobacco use.”
Respira is backed by leading venture investment firms, including Evolution VC Partners, Poseidon Asset Management, and DG Ventures.
Philip Morris International (PMI) filed counterclaims against R.J. Reynolds (RJR) for patent infringement in the federal court action that RJR commenced against PMI and Altria, PMI’s IQOS distributor in the US, on April 9, 2020 in the Eastern District of Virginia.
PMI also filed a partial motion to dismiss RJR’s claims against it. PMI believes that RJR’s infringement action is without merit, and that RJR’s own electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) products infringe multiple patents owned by PMI and Altria. PMI is bringing counterclaims to “recover the considerable damages” caused by RJR’s infringements, according to the filing.
“RJR appears to have brought this action in the hopes of stopping [PMI’s] innovative IQOS heated tobacco system, which has a proven track record in switching smokers away from combustible cigarettes, from disrupting its core business in combustible cigarettes and overtaking its secondary line of e-vapor products,” the filing states. “Having failed to develop a competing offering in the heated tobacco space, RJR apparently now seeks to block that space in its entirety by bringing this meritless litigation. But in its haste to do so, RJR has overlooked the fact that its own line of e-vapor products (which are far less effective in switching smokers away from combustible cigarettes than IQOS) infringe multiple patents owned by [PMI].”
The counterclaim alleges that RJR was concerned by the commercial threat posed by IQOS, and RJR is now attempting to stop IQOS with this case. “But in its haste to stop IQOS, RJR committed two fatal errors. First, it asserted meritless patent claims,” the filing states. “Second, it overlooked the fact that its own e-vapor products infringe multiple patents owned by [PMI] and co-defendants Altria Client Services and Philip Morris USA, Inc. [PMI] thus responds to RJR’s Complaint and brings counterclaims to recover the considerable damages flowing from RJR’s infringement.”
Finally, some positive news for the vapor industry. The much anticipated premarket tobacco product applications (PMTA) for the Leap pod system and Leap Go disposable were delivered to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday. E-Alternative Solutions (EAS), an independent, family-owned innovator of consumer-centric brands, is seeking authorization for the marketing and sale of its wide-ranging portfolio of Leap and Leap Go vapor products.
“We are pleased to take this important step in demonstrating our commitment to the vapor industry, retailers and adult smokers seeking an alternative to combustible cigarette smoking with our Leap and Leap Go vapor products,” said Jacopo D’Alessandris, president and CEO of EAS.
Jacopo D’Alessandris
“At EAS, we have always held ourselves to high standards, from supplying adult consumers with products they can trust to consistently following ethical marketing practices. We are confident in the strong merits of our PMTAs and want to thank our compliance and research teams for developing and delivering thorough submissions.”
The submission of PMTAs by EAS plays an integral role in supporting the proposition that Leap and Leap Go vapor products are appropriate for the protection of public health, according to a press release. The collective 75,000+ page PMTA submissions for Leap and Leap Go are the result of months of hard work and investigation that included an assessment of the stability of the products over time, toxicological formula reviews, toxicology testing, an assessment of abuse liability, label comprehension studies and behavioral studies.
In addition, EAS undertook an extensive review of available literature on vapor products related to health effects, behavioral factors and toxicological end points. Further, an exacting risk assessment was conducted across many areas of potential risk for Leap and Leap Go products, according to the release.
“Our PMTA submissions provide a robust analysis of the Leap and Leap Go products that will enable FDA to conclude these products are appropriate for the protection of public health,” said Chris Howard, vice president, general counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at EAS.
Chris Howard
“From an industry perspective, the PMTA process sets a high bar and holds companies accountable, ensuring vapor product manufacturers follow the rules and act in good faith. Looking ahead, a robust collaboration with FDA will help build a strong future for both the vapor industry and adult consumers.”
EAS continues to establish a leadership role in the creation of sensible industry standards and regulations as member of the Board of Directors of both the National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO) and the Vapor Technology Association (VTA), where EAS led the initiative to formulate the VTA marketing standards for membership, according to the release. The company continues to advance the interests of the industry’s consumers, manufacturers, wholesalers, small business owners, and entrepreneurs.
Youth use is a major concern for the vapor industry. RELX Technology today published its first Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report, outlining the concrete steps the company is taking to advance its vision to provide vaping solutions, “while driving operational excellence, managing its social impact and preventing underage use of its products,” according to a press release.
The report provides a comprehensive picture of its CSR activities. Key 2019 highlights, which span a wide range of activities from environmental protection to economic empowerment, include:
RELX opened over 2,500 RELX points of sale and entered over 100,000 retail stores, serving adult consumers in over 40 countries and regions.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the company established a support fund of RMB 20 million and provided other support mechanisms, including sending hand sanitizer and masks to RELX stores and partners all over the world.
RELX has installed ID and facial recognition technology in 80% of stores. The pre-purchase age verification process led RELX to refuse to sell products to 2% of store visitors, after they were found to be under-age.
RELX launched 16 anti-counterfeit cases in 2019, leading to the seizure of over 65,000 counterfeit products.
RELX initiated the “Lighten the Burden on Earth” campaign and recovered over 20,000 empty pods in one month.
The company terminated partnerships with close to 1,800 retail stores, which were located too close to schools.
RELX is on course with its business and sustainability ambitions, delivering on its goal to develop viable alternatives to cigarettes, supporting its local communities in times of crises, all while ensuring its products do not fall in the wrong hands.
Avail Vapor, a leading premium U.S. e-liquid retailer, announced today its agreement to acquire Giant Vapes, a major global e-commerce vaping company. The sum of the sale was not announced.
The acquisition would create a global, omnichannel organization with a clear mission to bring value to customers wherever they choose to shop, according to a press release. “By combining the strengths of Avail’s broad brick and mortar footprint and Giant Vapes’ extensive e-commerce platform the combined company will deliver unique value to its customers both in the US and abroad,” the release states.
“We are excited about the tremendous promise of this business combination given the strong fundamentals of each company and the overall industry,” said James Xu, CEO and chairman of Avail. “We are delighted to welcome Giant Vapes to the Avail family, and we look forward to providing our customers with an outstanding experience.”
Following the acquisition, Xu will lead the combined companies alongside Justin Murphy, vice president of Retail and Marketing, who will be overseeing the day-to-day operations of both Avail and Giant Vapes. “The Giant Vapes acquisition cements Avail’s foothold as the key market player with the most holistic approach to commerce in the industry,” the release states. “The combined companies now benefit from Giant Vapes’ best-in-class digital IQ, as well as their extensive and successful wholesale distribution channel. With the completion of this acquisition, the combined company is poised for major industry expansion post FDA’s Premarket Tobacco Product Application (PMTA) deadline of September 2020.”
