Tag: Reynolds

  • Reynolds Launches Disposable Non-Nicotine Vape

    Reynolds Launches Disposable Non-Nicotine Vape

    Credit: Casimiro

    R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company (RJRVC), an operating company of Reynolds American Inc. (Reynolds American), the BAT Group’s U.S. subsidiary, announced today that it is expanding its innovative vapor portfolio with SENSA, a zero-nicotine vapor product.

    As the market leader in vapor with its Vuse products, RJRVC is joining the growing marketplace for zero-nicotine vapor products and aims to establish the highest standards in the industry, according ot an emailed press release.

    SENSA products include a locking feature to prevent unintended usage, and adult consumers of the device will have access to Call2Recycle’s battery recycling program, which will facilitate the responsible disposal of SENSA batteries.

    “Adult tobacco and vapor consumers across the retail marketplace are looking for more options,” said Valerie Mras, senior vice president for RJRVC. “Adding a zero nicotine product to our growing vapor portfolio is driven by deep adult vapor consumer insights and enables us to responsibly compete within a category that is already well established in many countries.”

    The SENSA portfolio of flavors is intended for adult tobacco and vapor consumers and does not include flavors intended to appeal to those underage. The product will be responsibly marketed to adult tobacco and vapor consumers, consistent with the Reynolds American organization’s marketing practices for tobacco and nicotine products, according to the release.

    SENSA is intended to be sold only to adult tobacco and vapor consumers 21 and older; marketing touchpoints will be adult-oriented, and all web properties will be age-gated.

  • Reynolds American Files Final 6 PMTAs for Vuse Products

    Reynolds American Files Final 6 PMTAs for Vuse Products

    Reynolds American, a subsidiary of BAT, filed its final round of premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) submissions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday.

    The move will allow its Vuse and Velo brands to remain on the market in the United States for at least one year while the applications are reviewed. The process allows the FDA to evaluate whether the products should remain on the market as part of the FDA’s public health mission.

    The filing concludes an 11-month process for Reynolds which has the industry’s broadest portfolio of alternative nicotine products, according to a press release. Reynolds has filed six applications for its Vuse Solo, Vuse Ciro and Vuse Vibe vapor products, as well as for its Velo nicotine lozenge and modern oral pouch products. The Vuse Alto-branded device PMTA includes 12 cartridges in various flavors and nicotine strengths in menthol, two tobacco-flavored products and mixed berry.

    Across the six applications, over 530,000 pages of scientific data and more than 8,600 scientific documents have been submitted as part of the filings.

    “The U.S. is the world’s largest vaping market and so the completion of our PMTA filings is a really important step for us as we transform our organisation, drive a step change in our New Categories business, and increase our non-combustible consumer base and revenues. Our transformation is progressing very well and in the first six months of 2020 we attracted an additional 2.7million new non-combustible consumers compared to the same time last year,” Kingsley Wheaton, chief marketing officer for BAT said. “Globally, we now have nearly 12 million regular non-combustible consumers and the U.S. will play a large part of our ambition to grow this number to at least 50 million by 2030.”

  • PMI Files Counterclaims Against RJR for Patent Breach

    PMI Files Counterclaims Against RJR for Patent Breach

    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.”

  • Vuse,Vype Launch Vapor Subscription Service

    Vuse,Vype Launch Vapor Subscription Service

    vype

    Vuse and Vype, global e-cigarette brands, have launched a personalized subscription service for their adult consumers that allows ordering at the touch of a button. With a variety of plans to choose from, vapers can sign up for monthly deliveries that offer value, convenience and personalisation.

    In the United Kingdom, Vype has launched two monthly subscription services focusing on its award-winning pod mods the Vype ePen3 and Vype ePod. Vype ePen3 and Vype ePod won the e-cigarette category at 2019 and 2020 UK Product of the Year awards respectively.

    Each subscription plan includes a Vype ePen3 or Vype ePod every three months with a 25 percent saving on a three-month plan or a 33 percent saving on a six-month plan, both with no delivery charges. Each plan requires a minimum order of six packs per month.

    In the United States, Vuse continues to offer its popular Vuse Alto pod subscription service that includes a 10 percent discount on pods and free delivery.

  • Countermove: Altria Sues Reynolds Over Patent Infringement

    Countermove: Altria Sues Reynolds Over Patent Infringement

    Altria Group Inc.’s e-cigarette and smokeless tobacco divisions filed suit Thursday against competitor R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co. for patent infringement on e-cigarettes and associated products.

    Altria owns a 35 percent stake in e-cigarette industry leader Juul Labs Inc., a direct competitor of Reynolds’ Vuse brand of e-cigarettes.

    According to a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, Reynolds Vapor, owned by Reynolds American Inc., violated nine patents held by Altria Client Services in producing its Vuse Vapor e-cigarette line, according to a story on Virginiabusiness.com. The suit contends that Reynolds’ Vuse brand of e-cigarettes — including the Vibe and Alto — uses heating technology, mouthpieces, batteries and liquid-filled pods covered by Altria’s patents for its Juul e-vapor products.

    Based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Reynolds American Inc. is owned by British American Tobacco plc, which is headquartered in London. “Reynolds Vapor has infringed on Altria’s intellectual property and we are seeking financial damages for each of these violations,” Altria Client Services spokesman George Parman said Thursday, according to the story.

    The suit comes weeks after Reynolds filed its own patent-infringement suit against Altria and Philip Morris International Inc. in Richmond’s federal court over its heat-not-burn cigarette line, Marlboro HeatSticks, a competitor of Reynolds’ Eclipse line.

    Altria seeks unspecified monetary compensation but asks for “treble damages” — in other words, triple the amount — for “defendant’s willful infringement” of the patents, as well as awards of compensation, supplemental damages after discovery cutoff and attorneys’ fees and expenses. The plaintiffs ask for a trial by jury. No hearing has been set.

     

  • RAI Files 2 New PMTAs for Vuse Products

    RAI Files 2 New PMTAs for Vuse Products

    Reynolds American Inc. (RAI) has submitted two new premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). RAI is seeking marketing orders for its Vuse Vibe and Vuse Ciro vapor products, which would allow these products to remain on the market after the FDA’s deadline for PMTAs for electronic nicotine-delivery systems.

    The applications include a range of scientific studies for Vuse Vibe and Vuse Ciro using well-known methodologies, including the comparative assessment of cigarettes and associated health risks. Though the PMTAs themselves are considered commercially proprietary and are thus confidential, the data and information submitted to the FDA include the results of product analyses, nonclinical health risk information and human health and population information, including the impact to both users and nonusers of tobacco products.

    According to RAI, the results of these studies demonstrate that the continued marketing of the Vuse Vibe and Vuse Ciro products is appropriate for the protection of the public health. The FDA s expected to extend the PMTA deadline to from May 12 to Sept. 9.

    “I am incredibly proud of our diverse team of scientists, researchers and regulatory experts, who have worked tirelessly together to complete these applications well ahead of the FDA’s May deadline for ENDS products,” noted Reynolds’ executive vice president and head of scientific and regulatory affairs, James Figlar.

    The PMTAs for Vuse Vibe and Vuse Ciro are the second and third complete grouped PMTA applications submitted by Reynolds to the FDA for review, following the initial PMTA applications for Vuse Solo submitted in October 2019.