Tag: news

FEELM Guides Vape Industry Toward Sustainability

Credit: FEELM
FEELM, a major global atomization company, presented its solutions for achieving sustainable development in the industry during the Global Vape Forum, held during the World Vape Show Dubai 2024 industry event.
REX Zhang, strategy director at Smoore and assistant president at FEELM, told attendees that increasingly stringent global regulations and compliance, youth protection, and environmental protection have become the three major challenges hindering the vaping industry’s sustainable development. He said the challenges are even greater in countries like the UK and France, which are planning to introduce disposable vaping product bans.
Zhang said that stricter global regulations are beneficial for the industry’s development. However, while regulations clarify rules, strict enforcement is crucial to block the circulation of “illegal” products.
“At the same time, focusing on youth protection and environmental protection, vape companies need to create more compliant and legal products through technological innovation and upgraded vaping experiences,” said Zhang. “Collaboration among brands, retailers, and regulators is essential to achieve sustainable development in the industry.”
Building compliance capability is a long-term project. As a publicly traded company, Smoore consistently adheres to legal and regulatory standards and continually enhances its compliance capabilities through increased R&D investment, helping more clients succeed in global markets, according to Zhang. In 2023 alone, he said Smoore invested $1.48 billion in R&D, accounting for 13.3 percent of its annual revenue.
Smoore also has committed to helping its clients’ products obtain to obtain marketing authorization from the U.S. Food and MDrug Administration. Smoore has been instrumental in nearly every vaping product currently authorized by the FDA. Additionally, adhering to the “customer first” business philosophy, Zhang said that FEELM has introduced a series of solutions tailored for several different global markets.
Rex Zhang
“[We] believe that consumers in the global market are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and the demand in different markets is more diverse. To respond to the urgent demand for environmentally friendly products in the European market, FEELM has launched the next-generation vape pod solution, FEELM PRO [which complies with TPD egulations and] is environmentally friendly,” said Zhang. “This effectively addresses the current issue of disposable ‘use and discard’ products. It is also simpler to assemble than similar products; it bursts power at an instant start and significantly enhances the flavor experience, offering a smooth and rich taste.”
Through technological innovation and the use of eco-friendly materials, FEELM has rapidly improved atomization efficiency and battery efficiency, significantly enhancing the vaping experience while greatly reducing the raw materials required for production, according to Zhang. FEELM has also developed a series of new solutions for non-TPD markets, including the world’s first 30,000 puffs disposable with a four-sided surround screen.
Zhang said FEELM has developed more than eight different child lock solutions to combat youth usage, each meeting the regulatory needs of different markets. “The continuous launch of new solutions results from our long-term investment in technological R&D,” said Zhang. “This is just the beginning.
“We are confident in focusing on innovation in atomization technology and continually introducing sustainable and compliant vape solutions to meet consumers’ ever-evolving demands for excellence and environmental sustainability.”
June 18, 2024
PMI Suspends Online Zyn Sales Due to DC Probe

Photo: Swedish MAtch
Philip Morris International halted sales of Zyn nicotine pouches on its U.S. website as Washington, D.C., officials investigate the company’s compliance with the district’s ban on the sale of flavored tobacco products, reports The Wall Street Journal.
On June 17, the company’s Swedish Match North America division announced it had received a subpoena from the District of Columbia’s attorney general, requesting among other things information about the unit’s compliance with local restrictions on flavored tobacco.
A preliminary investigation by the company indicated that there had indeed been sales of flavored nicotine pouch products in the district. According to PMI, these related predominantly to certain online sales platforms and some independent retailers.
Swedish Match is currently conducting a full review of its sales and supply chain arrangement in D.C. and other U.S. localities where flavor bans apply.
Pending the investigation, PMI has suspended all online sales on Zyn.com. Sales on this platform have represented “a very small” percentage of the company’s U.S. Zyn volumes, according to PMI.
In the March quarter, Philip Morris’ shipment volumes of oral smoke-free product volumes surged by 40 percent, mainly driven by Zyn nicotine pouches in the U.S., where shipment volume reached 131.6 million cans.
Zyn has been available in the U.S. since 2014, but its sales have skyrocketed over the past year and a half, and its parent company is investing in Zyn capacity in the U.S.
Philip Morris bought Swedish Match in a $16 billion deal in 2022 as the company looked to reduce its reliance on cigarettes amid stricter regulations and a consumer shift toward alternatives to tobacco and traditional cigarettes.
June 18, 2024
Arcus Compliance Purchases Data Firm VapeClick

Photo: Khanchai
Regulatory compliance consultancy Arcus Compliance has acquired vape industry data platform VapeClick.
VapeClick is a comprehensive online directory of U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency submitted and notified vape and e-cigarette product data.
The platform enables vape industry stakeholders to search and identify appropriately published and notified products. VapeClick supports a wide variety of use cases, offering bespoke reporting and notifications from its vape intelligence application.
“We are delighted to have agreed the deal to acquire the vape-click.com portal,” said Arcus Compliance CEO Lee Bryan. “The solution has become the go-to portal for U.K.-registered vape products and will become an important piece of the jigsaw for the cutting-edge Arcus software portfolio. We have exciting plans for integration, including development for other industries as well as providing valuable oversight for enforcement bodies throughout Europe.”
“This is an important milestone in the growth and development of the innovative vape-click.com platform,” said VapeClick’s Chief Technical Officer Raphael Klimaszewski. “We have spent many years building the database that has revolutionized how vape products can be quickly and readily checked and monitored for their compliance status.
“The acquisition of the portal by Arcus Compliance is a testament to the impact that the platform has made and its inherent value amongst its many users. We look forward to seeing it go from strength to strength under Arcus’ leadership.”
June 18, 2024
New UK Study Offers Insights Into Youth Vaping
Photo: Daisy Daisy
A new study has provided an in-depth look into the rising trend of disposable vape use among young people in the U.K.
Led by the University of East Anglia and published in Addiction, the research reveals that young people see smoking and vaping as interchangeable, but are far more aware of the potential harms of vaping than they are of the dangers of smoking.
The findings also suggest that banning disposable vape products or increasing their prices could lead young people to revert to smoking tobacco.
Many of the young people questioned also believed that if disposable vapes were banned, they would be able to continue using them by stockpiling or purchasing illegally.
“Youth use of disposable vapes has surged in recent years in the U.K.,” said lead researcher Caitlin Notley, a professor of addiction sciences at UEA’s Norwich Medical School, in a statement.
“Despite this increase, little was previously known about the motivations behind this trend and the experiences of young people who use these products.
“This study aimed to explore these aspects, providing valuable insights into the factors influencing youth vaping behavior.”
The study recruited 29 young people aged between 16 and 20 and a range of methods were used to probe their motivations, experiences and perceptions of using disposable vapes.
Each approach was chosen to best suit the needs of the participant—from individual interviews with researchers, to recorded conversations in friendship pairs using prompt cards without a researcher present, to small group interviews designed to support those with special educational needs.
The key findings include:
Individual motivations: Participants highlighted key characteristics of disposable vapes that appealed to them, such as affordability, ease of access, and the attractive designs, colors, names, and flavors.
Behavior patterns: Many young people engaged in both vaping and tobacco smoking, viewing these behaviors as interchangeable based on the context. There was a common misconception about the relative harms of vaping compared to smoking.
Social and emotional factors: Experimentation with vapes was prevalent, and many young people used vapes to manage stress and anxiety. Vaping was also identified as a social activity, widely accepted among peer groups. Notably, participants were more informed about the potential harms of vaping than those associated with smoking.
Regulation: Strict regulatory measures, such as banning disposable vape products or increasing their prices, could lead young people to revert to smoking tobacco. Many of the young people believed that if disposable vapes were banned, they would be able to continue using them by stockpiling or purchasing illegally.
“Disposable vapes are particularly attractive and accessible to young people in the U.K, contributing to the normalization of vaping within this demographic,” said co-author Ian Pope, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School. “Despite recognizing the potential health risks, young people continue to engage in both vaping and smoking, often interchangeably.
“The widespread availability of underage vape sales and availability of illicit vapes further exacerbates this issue.”
The researchers say the study suggests that young people’s use of disposable vapes could be reduced by tighter enforcement of age of sale and restricting packaging and marketing.
However, they also say the evidence suggests these sorts of interventions have the potential for significant unintended consequences, including increased use of illicit vapes and increased tobacco use amongst young people.
“Therefore any interventions to combat use of disposables may need to be accompanied by policy interventions to reduce access to illicit vapes and tobacco and increase awareness of the relative harms of tobacco compared to vapes,” said Notley.
The research was conducted in partnership with the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and the Nicotine, Tobacco and Vaping Research Group at London South Bank University.
The study was funded by the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital Foundation Trust through the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s Research Capability Fund.
June 17, 2024
FDA Bans Boosted From Doing Vape Business in US

The United States District Court for the District of Colorado entered a consent decree of permanent injunction against Boosted (who also does business as Boosted E-Juice, Boosted and Live Boosted) and Cory Vigil, owner of Boosted LLC.
To avoid litigation, the defendants signed a consent decree, which is a written agreement signed by a federal judge and entered as a court order. Under the consent decree, the defendants have agreed not to manufacture, sell, or distribute any new tobacco products until they meet certain requirements.
These requirements include that the new tobacco products receive FDA marketing authorization, that FDA inspect the defendants’ facilities to determine compliance with the law, and that FDA notify defendants in writing that they appear to be in compliance with the law.
According to the complaint filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on FDA’s behalf, defendants were previously warned that failing to obtain marketing authorization from FDA violated the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act’s (FD&C Act) premarket review requirements for manufacturing, selling, and distributing new tobacco products.
The agency’s warnings noted that continued violations could lead to further action, including an injunction, according to a release.
“FDA remains steadfast in our work to enforce the law, especially after we’ve given a crystal-clear warning and explanation of what firms need to do to comply,” said Brian King, director of FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP). “Those who flout the law are responsible for the consequences, and we are committed to using the full force of our authorities to hold them accountable.”
This case represents the ongoing collaboration among federal partners—which will continue and expand under FDA and DOJ’s newly announced task force—to address unauthorized e-cigarettes in the United States. This is the eighth time FDA and DOJ have initiated injunction proceedings, the first of which occurred in October 2022, to enforce the FD&C Act’s premarket review requirements for new tobacco products.
DOJ institutes judicial enforcement actions under the FD&C Act in court. Accordingly, DOJ, on behalf of FDA, filed the consent decree of permanent injunction against the defendants in the District of Colorado, the manufacturer’s respective U.S. District Court.
“FDA has made clear it is committed to working with our federal partners, including the U.S. Department of Justice, to take enforcement actions, like seeking permanent injunctions, against those who violate the law,” said Jill Atencio, acting director of CTP’s Office of Compliance and Enforcement. “A coordinated, all government approach that brings together collective federal resources and experiences is critical to the success of these enforcement actions.”
The action is part of FDA’s comprehensive approach to enforcing the law in coordination with federal partners. Last year, FDA coordinated with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to seize more than $18 million in unauthorized e-cigarettes during a joint operation at LAX airport.
June 14, 2024
‘Carcinogens On Permitted Vapor Additives List’

Photo: New Africa
Canada’s proposed list of permitted vapor product additives includes dangerous ingredients, according to Imperial Tobacco Canada (ITCAN).
“To put it bluntly, the list contains at least one known substance that could cause cancer,” said ITCAN Vice President, Corporate and Regulatory Affairs Eric Gagnon in a statement.
According to ITCAN, several ingredients on the flavor ban proposal list of permitted ingredients are substances that its parent company, British American Tobacco, categorically avoids in its vaping products.
The company says BAT’s toxicological risk assessment prevents the use of substances classified as having carcinogenic, mutagenic or reprotoxic (CMR) properties, as per the Globally Harmonized System for classification and labelling of substances.
“It is shocking that the government would include a proven and classified CMR substance in its lists of permitted additives for vaping products,” ITCAN wrote on its website. “The effect of a regulation that formally permits such ingredients is simply an encouragement to manufacturers—particularly smaller producers with limited access to scientific literature—to use an inherently unsafe substance in a product that is designed to be inhaled into the lungs.”
Gagnon cited isophorone as an example. “This substance is classified by the European Union as cancer-causing and acutely toxic. It is also banned by Canadian food and drug regulations from use in human cosmetics,” he said.
“We encourage Health Canada to reconsider the list and consult with experts to determine the best way forward.”
June 14, 2024
UK: Labour Vows to Implement Generational Ban

Photo: sezerozger
Britain’s opposition Labour Party, which is favored to win the July 4 national elections, has reiterated its commitment to the generational tobacco ban proposed by Tory Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, reports Reuters.
The plan would make it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2009, after they turn 18. It would also provide powers to address vaping among young people.
The generational tobacco ban passed its first parliamentary hurdle in April but was put on hold after Sunak called a national election.
Labour leader Keir Starmer, whose party is far ahead in opinion polls ahead of the vote, published its planned policies on June 13, vowing to provide political and economic stability, and to improve health outcomes.
“We must take preventative public health measures to tackle the biggest killers and support people to live longer, healthier lives. That starts with smoking,” the manifesto document said.
“Labour will ensure the next generation can never legally buy cigarettes … Labour will ban vapes from being branded and advertised to appeal to children to stop the next generation from becoming hooked on nicotine.”
June 14, 2024
Switzerland Set to Ban Disposable Vape Products

Photo: twinsterphoto
Swiss lawmakers voted on June 12 to ban sales of disposable vapes, reports the Swiss Broadcasting Corp.
The motion calls on the government to amend the Federal Act on Tobacco Products and Electronic Cigarettes so that single-use vapes may no longer be offered for sale in Switzerland.
“’Puff bars’ are attractive to young people due to their many flavors and bright colors and are therefore becoming increasingly popular, said Green Party parliamentarian Christophe Clivaz, using the brand name of a popular vape brand to refer to all cigarettes.
Switzerland imported 10 million units in 2022, he added.
Clivaz lamented the environmental impact of improperly disposed vapes and the addictive nature of nicotine products. Clean-up efforts cost millions and the health effects of disposable cigarettes have been insufficiently researched, he noted.
Interior Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider voted against the House of Representatives’ motion, which the Federal Council, Switzerland’s executive body, considers premature.
The proposal will now move the Senate.
June 13, 2024
FDA Warns Sellers of ‘Drug Bottle’ Vaping Devices
The US Food and Drug Administration has sent warning letters to six online retailers for selling unauthorized e-liquid products from the Bad Drip brand that imitate prescription drug bottles.
The retailers were also warned for selling unauthorized flavored, disposable vaping products, including those under the brand names Funky Republic and HQD, according to an FDA release.
“It boggles the mind that someone thought it was a good idea to package a tobacco product to look like a prescription drug bottle,” said Brian King, director of FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products. “There’s no place for this gratuitous and blatantly dangerous packaging, and FDA is committed to taking action against the illegal sale of these products.”
In a Senate Judiciary meeting yesterday, King noted that products like Elf Bar cannot legally be sold in China because the government there has banned non-tobacco flavored e-cigarettes. Outraged that brands banned in China are sold in the U.S., Texas Senator John Cornyn vowed to introduce legislation to rectify that situation.
Jefferies analyst Owen Bennett said the Congressional testimony could spur the FDA to approve more products from British American Tobacco and Juul. “This hearing is another example of increasing political pressure for the FDA to act” against unauthorized products, he said in a research note quoted by Bloomberg.
June 13, 2024
FDA, DOJ Grilled for ‘Unserious’ Action on Illegal Vapes

Photo: Katherine Welles
U.S. Senators criticized top health and law enforcement officials for their failure to tame the rapidly growing illicit e-cigarette market, reports the Associated Press.
During a hearing on June 12, lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee questioned officials from the Food and Drug Administration and Department of Justice (DOJ) about attempts to manage the vaping market, which has grown to include thousands of flavored, unauthorized e-cigarettes imported from in China.
To date, the agency has approved only a handful of e-cigarettes as alternatives for adult smokers. All other products on the market, including popular products like Juul, are pending review or considered illegal by regulators.
“I simply do not understand how FDA and DOJ have permitted thousands of products to remain on store shelves when their manufacturers have not received authorization, or, in some cases, even filed an application,” said the committee’s chairman, Dick Durbin.
Brian King, director of the FDA Center for Tobacco Products, said the agency has been slowed by a backlog of applications submitted by vape companies seeking approval to sell their products in the U.S. The FDA received millions of premarket tobacco product applications, each of which must be scientifically reviewed.
An industry lobbyist told the committee that the FDA has created an untenable marketplace by rejecting more than 99 percent of applications submitted by companies.

I simply do not understand how FDA and DOJ have permitted thousands of products to remain on store shelves when their manufacturers have not received authorization, or, in some cases, even filed an application.
Dick Durbin, chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee
Ahead of the congressional hearing, several government agencies, including the FDA and the DOJ established a task force to better coordinate the fight against illegal e-cigarettes. Republican Senator Thom Tillis called the timing of the announcement “a political stunt,” and criticized the absence of other federal agencies from the initiative, including Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
“If the timing of the task force formation wasn’t evidence of how unserious the FDA is about tackling the flood of illicit e-cigarettes, FDA’s exclusion of CBP from the task force makes it crystal clear,” said Tillis, who represents North Carolina, a major tobacco-producing state. He urged officials to concentrate enforcement on Chinese brands, rather than large domestic manufacturers like Reynolds American, which is based in North Carolina.
The FDA can conduct investigations and recommend cases, but only the Justice Department can bring lawsuits. The FDA has sent hundreds of warning letters to vape shops and e-cigarette manufacturers in recent years. But the letters have done little to dissuade companies from flouting FDA rules and introducing new vapes.
Disposable vapes account for an estimated 30 percent to 40 percent of the roughly $7 billion-dollar U.S. vaping market. The two best-selling disposables—Breeze and Elf Bar—generated more than $500 million in sales last year, according to Nielsen retail sales data analyzed by Goldman Sachs.
Both brands have been sanctioned by FDA regulators but remain widely available, in some cases with new names, logos and flavors.
King noted that products like Elf Bar cannot legally be sold in China because the government there has banned non-tobacco flavored e-cigarettes. Outraged that brands banned in China are sold in the U.S., Texas Senator John Cornyn vowed to introduce legislation to rectify that situation.
Jefferies analyst Owen Bennett said the Congressional testimony could spur the FDA to approve more products from British American Tobacco and Juul. “This hearing is another example of increasing political pressure for the FDA to act” against unauthorized products, he said in a research note quoted by Bloomberg.
June 13, 2024