Tag: news

Draft Rules for Vapor Products Coming in Philippines

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The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in the Philippines is preparing the draft Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Vaporized Nicotine Products Regulation Act or Vape Regulation law.
DTI Undersecretary for Consumer Protection Group Ruth Castelo, according to the Manila Bulletin, said at the Laging Handa Public Briefing that since the DTI has been designated as the implementing government agency, they will have to follow the law.
“Anytime soon or in a couple of days, we can start with consultation with the Food and Drug Administration and then public consultation,” said Castelo noting that they have a deadline to meet under the law to come up with the IRR. The law, which lapsed into law on July 25, 2022, directs DTI to come up with the IRR three months from its effectivity.
She said that DTI will lead in terms of testing the devices for the new tobacco alternative products. In fact, Castelo said that DTI testing equipment have been readied since 2021 yet.
But the FDA will lead or approve certifications when it comes to chemicals and health claims of the products.
The Vape law regulates the importation, manufacture, sale, packaging, distribution, use and communication of vaporized nicotine and non-nicotine products, as well as novel tobacco products. Under the law, manufacturers are given three months to notify the DTI prior to placing new nicotine products in the market.
August 11, 2022
‘FDA Took Unfair Shortcuts in Reviewing PMTAs’

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In establishing whether a nicotine product is appropriate for the protection of public health, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration held its Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) reviewers to a lower standard than the companies submitting premarket tobacco product applications, according to Alex Norcia writing in Filter.
Citing documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, Filter describes procedures such as batching and bracketing, which allowed the CTP to apply conclusions to categories of products rather than evaluating them separately. “Despite imposing extremely onerous bureaucratic requirements on applicants, the agency was happy to find ways to cut through its own paperwork,” writes Norcia.
“It’s clear that FDA allows itself efficient shortcuts that it has denied to applicants,” Clive Bates, director of The Counterfactual, told Filter.
“The problem has always been that FDA’s extraordinarily burdensome process was obviously tremendously wasteful for applicants, but of course it was always going to be unmanageable for the assessors in FDA. Without this sort of shortcut, the PMTA process would have become a human resources nightmare. So FDA has allowed itself the kind of efficiencies it should have offered to the applicants—batching and bracketing thousands of near-identical products.”
August 11, 2022
Supreme Acquires Cuts Ice and Flavour Core E-liquids

The UK-based wholesale distributor and manufacturer Supreme has announced the acquisition of vaping manufacturer Cuts Ice and e-liquid business Flavour Core for undisclosed fees.
It follows Supreme’s acquisition of Liberty Flights in June in a deal worth up to £15 million as it looks to expand its influence in the vaping category.
The business said Cuts Ice had developed a leading vape brand called T Juice. which had achieved significant recognition in European markets, according to The Grocer.
It claimed the acquisition would allow the business to diversify its current UK-centric vaping division by supplying to France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Belgium, as well as gaining additional flavouring and mixing expertise.
The two businesses are expected to be fully integrated into Supreme’s wider vaping division and enhance earnings immediately
“We are delighted to be acquiring assets from Cuts Ice and Flavour Core, a highly innovative and hugely popular brand both in the UK and across Europe,” said Supreme CEO Sandy Chadha.
“We continue to see significant growth from within our vaping activities and see this transaction as an excellent example of how we can continue to add both scale and expertise into the group.”
August 10, 2022
Global Disposable Vape Market to Reach $6.3 Billion in 2022

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The global disposable e-cigarettes market size is expected to be valued at $6.34 billion in 2022, according to new research.
With growing demand for non-tobacco products owing to rising health concerns among others, the overall demand for disposable e-cigarettes is projected to grow at a CAGR of 11.2 percent between 2022 and 2032, totaling around $18.32 billion by 2032, according to a report from Future Market Insights (FMI).
The rising traction of using disposable e-cigarettes among consumers is expected to accelerate the market in the forthcoming years, according to FMI.
New and innovative products to comply with the growing demand for these products among consumers are being launched by many market players.
In January 2021, Dinner Lady, a U.K.-based vape brand launched a disposable vape pen, for example.
North America dominated the disposable e-cigarettes market and accounted for the maximum revenue share of 49.8 percent in 2021.
The increasing popularity of flavored disposable e-cigarettes offered by brands such as Puff Bar, Vuse, and Suorin, is one of the major factors that is expected to drive the growth of the industry in the region.
August 10, 2022
City Council in Bangor, Maine Bans Flavored Vapes, Again
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The Bangor City Council, in the U.S. state of Maine, met Monday evening and decided in a 6 to 1 vote to instate an ordinance to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products for a second time.
The ordinance will prevent the sale of all flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and menthol-flavored products, citywide. According to the city council’s meeting agenda, the ordinance will prevent the sale, display, marketing, and advertising of flavored tobacco products, according to News Center Maine.
The city previously banned flavored tobacco products back in October but repealed its decision earlier this year after a procedural error.
If broken, the ordinance also imposes a fine between $50 and $100 for the first violation within a 24-month period and $300 and $1,000 for each subsequent offense within those 24 months.
August 9, 2022
County in New York First to Offer Vape Disposal Site

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Monroe County will be the first in New York State to accept vape pens, e-cigarettes and the liquids used in them for safe disposal.
Experts say these items should never be thrown into the regular trash as the lithium inside these devices can pose serious health and environmental risks, according to a county press release.
“Vaping is not only a public health issue, it is an environmental issue,” said Monroe County Executive Adam Bello. “Vape pens, electronic cigarettes and e-liquids are considered hazardous wastes and should not be thrown away. Monroe County is proud to lead the way in New York by taking action now to prevent these products from harming our environment.”
Instead the county will be accepting them in sealed bags at the Eco Park recycling center in Chili. Eco Park is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays for drop-offs, no appointment is necessary.
“Disposable vape products are toxic and unsafe for our environment. That makes them a health threat for all of us, even if we don’t use them,” Monroe County Commissioner of Public Health Dr. Michael Mendoza said. “I applaud County Executive Bello, the Department of Environmental Services, and all our partners, who are leading the way when it comes to addressing this emerging public health issue.”
There is an estimated 44.7 million tons of e-waste generated around the world every year. That waste contains up to $65 billion worth of raw materials like gold, silver and platinum sent to a landfill.
The amount of global e-waste is expected to increase by almost 17 percent to 52.2 million tons in 2021, or about 8 percent every year, according to research.
Vaping products contain lithium-ion batteries, a heating element and a circuit board. These components—which may include plastic and heavy metals—make disposing of e-cigarettes a considerable challenge because of the various types of chemicals and materials involved in their manufacturing.
There are no direct regulations for recycling or use of e-cigarettes, heated-tobacco products (HTPs) or the cellulose acetate filters in combustible cigarettes in the U.S.
There is legislation that regulates the management of e-waste; however, these guidelines typically apply only to cell phones, computers and other large electronic products.
August 9, 2022
Delnevo Appointed Chairperson of FDA’s TPSAC
Delnevo
Cristine Delnevo, director of the Rutgers Center for Tobacco Studies and a professor of Health Behavior, Society and Policy at the Rutgers School of Public Health, has been appointed chairperson of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee (TPSAC). Her appointment as chair will run through Jan. 31, 2025.
Delnevo was appointed to serve on the committee in March 2021. Established in 2009, TPSAC reviews and evaluates safety, dependence and health issues related to tobacco products and provides advice, information and recommendations to the FDA’s commissioner. The FDA commissioner selects the committee members from among people with expertise in medicine, medical ethics, science or technology involving the manufacture, evaluation or use of tobacco products.
“I have valued the importance of this FDA advisory committee since the signing of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act in 2009,” said Delnevo in a press note published by Rutgers. “This advisory committee plays an important role in several ways, perhaps most notably on the review of modified risk tobacco product applications, as required under the Tobacco Control Act.”
Delnevo’s expertise spans population-level tobacco behavior trends, particularly non-cigarette tobacco products like cigars and e-cigarettes, tobacco control policy and regulation, and survey methods research.
August 9, 2022
TSA Agents Find THC Vapes Hidden in Peanut Butter

Credit: TSA
This story has too many puns. Officers from the Transportation Security Administration said a traveler tried to hide marijuana vape cartridges in a jar of peanut butter. The agents at Pittsburgh International Airport in Pennsylvania discovered the cartridges in a traveler’s checked bag after it “triggered an alarm,” a TSA spokesperson wrote in a tweet.
“When a @TSA officer investigated why it alarmed, three vape canisters with marijuana that were wrapped in plastic bags were pulled from the jar,” TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein stated in the tweet.
“TSA isn’t searching for drugs, but when they are discovered during routine screening, the police are contacted,” Farbstein added, as reported by Insider. “The traveler told officials that the canisters were for medical purposes, but still thought he should try to conceal them. Not a good decision.”
It remains unclear if any charges were filed against the traveler caught with the marijuana. TSA made light of the situation with dad joke-style warnings to other travelers.
“When our baggage screening officers @PITairport discovered this jarring find, you butter believe this passenger found themselves in a crunch. We’re going to spread this awareness on really thick!” an account for the TSA said on Instagram.
Travelers can bring vape cartridges in their carry-on luggage so long as they are not “filled with THC, like the e-liquids pictured,” the TSA said in the post.
“Well, don’t get roasted by packing them in peanut butter, it’s just best to leave them at home. While our officers aren’t directly searching for those vape highs, if found they’re ganja have to report it to law enforcement,” the agency said on Instagram.
August 8, 2022
PMI Ends Controversial Cash-for-Vapes Program

Photo: PMI
Philip Morris International has paused a program that would have paid Australian pharmacists AUD275 ($190.24) when ordering Veev vapes, according toThe Guardian.
The scheme, first reported by News Corp, would have seen pharmacists receive AUD5 every time they dispense a new VEEV script, AUD10 for educating a new patient about the device, and AUD5 for referring patients to a doctor to obtain a prescription. Pharmacists would also receive a AUD275 payment for placing an initial stock order.
Nicotine-containing vapor products are available only with a doctor’s prescription in Australia.
The cash-for-vapes program caused an uproar among public health advocates.
Emily Banks, a professor at Australian National University National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, said the tobacco industry wanted to piggyback off the trust Australians place in the healthcare system.
“Big tobacco wants a piece of that—they want some of the trust to rub off. It’s beyond appalling.”
“Big tobacco’s attempt at financial kickbacks shows absolute contempt for pharmacists,” said a spokesman for the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia. “Multinational tobacco companies have no place in health care.”
In a statement, PMI defended the program, saying since 2021 nicotine vaping products had been available in Australian pharmacies as a prescription-only medicine for smoking cessation.
“Several manufacturers, including PMI, have been providing nicotine vaping products to Australian pharmacies via the stringent regulatory regime. Industry data indicates that across multiple manufacturers products are now available in over 2,000 pharmacies nationwide,” the statement said.
August 6, 2022
Chinese Car Maker BYD Gets Vape Production Permit

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There has been speculation for a few years now that the BYD, one of the largest companies in China, had plans to enter the e-cigarette market with its own brand. Better known as a car manufacturer and battery producer, BYD Electronic shares surged on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong by as much as 12.5 percent Thursday after the company announced a subsidiary has been granted a license to produce vaping devices.
“The unit has been granted a tobacco production business license by the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration [STMA],” BYD Electronic said on its WeChat account, according to YiCai Global. Such permits only started to be issued this year in accordance with new regulations. As of Aug. 4, more than 130 firms had been licensed, according to the STMA website.
“The BYD subsidiary already has a full range of electronic atomization products ready to be patented and is investing in automated production lines, said BYD Electronic, which is the sister company of electric car and battery giant BYD Automobile,” the company stated in a release. “At present, BYD Electronics has completed the patent layout of a full range of electronic atomization products and the construction of automated production lines, fully integrating its own comprehensive capabilities such as new material research and development, precision molds, product design and development, and intelligent manufacturing, and is committed to becoming a Practitioners and leaders in the field of health harm reduction, providing users with excellent products of quality and peace of mind.”
In 2021, BYD said its e-cigarette business was mainly based on brand OEMs, and “there is no independent listing plan.” BYD Electronics has operated in the e-cigarettes field since 2018. It launched the brand “Beem Core” for ceramic atomizing core technology in 2021.
Once it starts full production, BYD will go head to head with industry leader Smoore International, which held 22.8 percent of global market share last year, according to Frost & Sullivan research.
BYD Electronic was spun off from Shenzhen-based conglomerate BYD in 2007 to make cell phone components and printed circuit boards. Its business remit has since expanded to include smartphones, laptops, masks and now, e-cigarettes.
BYD joins industry late-comer Luxshare Precision, a global designer and manufacturer of cable assembly and connector system solutions, and several other China-based manufacturing enterprises as new vaping industry players.
August 6, 2022