Author: David Palacios Rubio
Altria revises US cigarette industry volume down; vapour drives revenues
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 31st July 2019 || Business briefing |
US tobacco company Altria has revised its expectations for the US cigarette industry downwards, with a predicted decline up to 6% through...
WHO: ‘undoubtedly harmful’ e-cigarettes should be regulated against reduced-risk claims
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 29th July 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
A new report by the World Health Organization seriously questions the role of tobacco-alternative products as a successful cessation smoking...
Facebook places new limits on e-cig content, considers even tighter rules
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 24th July 2019 || Business briefing , Marketing & retailing |
Facebook has unveiled a new policy that limits content related to alcohol and tobacco, including e-cigarettes, in users’ posts ...
Austria reinstates ban on smoking or vaping in restaurants and bars
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 24th July 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
Vaping and smoking will be banned in bars and restaurants in Austria from 1st November, after the Federal Council approved the reinstatement of a measure that was overturned last year ...
FDA’s new TV campaign aims to turn teens off vaping by magic
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 23rd July 2019 || Marketing & retailing , Regulatory briefing |
“Some people think that vaping is not a big deal, but that is just an illusion.” That’s the start of a new TV ad, one of a series featuring street magician Julius Dein launched on teen-focused networks by...
Sharpless: court’s deadline ruling sets ‘a rapid pace’ for PMTA reviews
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 16th July 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
The US FDA has welcomed the ruling by a federal court that it must bring forward the deadline for submission of premarket tobacco applications (PMTAs) for e-cigarettes to 11th May 2020 ...
Acting FDA chief Sharpless says the case for e-cigs is still unproven
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 11th July 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
Acting US FDA commissioner Ned Sharpless has expressed his commitment to giving fair consideration to alternatives to smoking – but he still has doubts about vaping ...
Health Canada warns of inspections, Quebec appeals to reinstate ad ban
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 20th June 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
Health Canada has written to thousands of vaping retailers warning them that inspectors will be visiting them "to verify compliance with the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act" ...
FDA offers retailers digital calendars to help with age verification
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 19th June 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
The US FDA has created a new digital age verification calendar to help retailers to avoid selling e-cigs and other tobacco products to under-age customers ...
Vuse and Juul target adult viewers with US television ad campaigns
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 17th June 2019 || Business briefing , Marketing & retailing |
Reynolds American and Juul Labs have both launched major TV campaigns in the US promoting their respective vaping devices ...
US FDA proposes bringing PMTA deadline significantly forward
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 14th June 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
The US FDA has suggested that the deadline for the submission of premarket tobacco product (PMTA) applications could be significantly advanced ...
The waiting’s over as FDA produces its guidance on PMTA submissions
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 12th June 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
The US FDA has published its long awaited guidance for premarket tobacco products applications (PMTAs) for e-cigarettes, including a number of non-binding recommendations for vaping manufacturers ...
Anti-tobacco policies light up on World No Tobacco Day
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 31st May 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
Health authorities around the world presented their policies against e-cigarettes and novel tobacco products World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) ...
Federal judge tells FDA to hurry up, while North Carolina sues Juul
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 16th May 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
A federal judge has ordered the US FDA to accelerate its reviewing of e-cigarettes currently on the market. Meanwhile, North Carolina’s attorney general is taking Juul to court ...
Motorsport expected to ignore WHO’s call to end tobacco sponsorship
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 8th May 2019 || Business briefing |
A call by the WHO for governments to enforce bans on all tobacco or e-cigarette advertising and sponsorship in sports events has had no formal response from the world of motor racing ...
European Commission sets aside major funds for planned revision of TPD
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 15th April 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
The European Commission has allocated a significant part of its health budget for the year to gathering data for the coming revision of the the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) ...
New York state budget stings vape trade with 20% sales tax on e-liquid
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 5th April 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
The New York vapour industry has condemned the state’s new budget for 2020 as a devastating backward step – particularly the introduction from 2020 of a 20% sales tax on all e-liquids ...
FDA budgets for $100m in user fees for CTP to keep up pressure on vaping
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 2nd April 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) budget for financial year 2020 has been set at $747m, a significant increase on this year’s figure of $611m ...
UK government loses a pro-vaping minister as Brine exits over Brexit
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 26th March 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
As the UK’s government and parliament continue to tie themselves in knots over the impending departure from the EU, the minister most closely associated with vaping policy has quit his post ...
Not everyone’s happy as Greece moves to regulate nicotine-free e-cigs
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 21st March 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
After being for some time the only EU member state to allow only nicotine-containing e-cigarettes on the market, Greece has taken a step forward by regulating the sale of nicotine-free vapour products ...
EU science committee to report on vaping risks for revision of TPD
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 20th March 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
Europe’s health authorities have commissioned a science committee to gather evidence on the health risks of e-cigarettes for the coming revision of the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) ...
Spanish public backs restrictions on vaping to match limits on smoking
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 5th March 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
A new survey reveals that more than half of Spaniards would restrict the use of vaping and novel tobacco products in public places in the same way as smoking ...
Gottlieb names chains accused of flouting rules on sales to youth
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 5th March 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb has announced new action against retailers selling tobacco products to minors and e-cig manufacturers who fail to comply with labelling and advertising regulations ...
German court issues injunctions against Amazon over e-cig sales
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 28th February 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
The Regional Court of Frankfurt am Main in Germany has awarded two injunctions against the sale and advertising of e-cigarettes through online retailer Amazon, the law magazine LHR reports ...
Citizens’ Initiative calls for European VPD (Vaping Products Directive)
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 20th February 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
The European Commission has officially registered a European Citizens’ Initiative which calls for Article 20 of the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) to be replaced by “bespoke legislation” for vaping products ...
United Arab Emirates prepares to legalise e-cigarettes from April
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 19th February 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
The existing ban on the sale of electronic cigarettes in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be lifted from mid-April, the Emirates Authority for Standardisation (ESMA) has confirmed ...
Decree brings regulation of e-cigs and HnB to Belarus for the first time
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 18th February 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
A new decree in Belarus regulates electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco for the first time in the country, introducing a number of restrictions after years of no regulation ...
EU commissioner speaks out against rise of vaping by young people
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 5th February 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
The European Union’s commissioner for health and food safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis, has expressed concern about the use of electronic cigarettes and new tobacco products by young people ...
Nicotine or non-nicotine – Estonia refuses to recognise a difference
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 30th January 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
Estonian health officials have justified to ECigIntelligence their interpretation of the country’s law as imposing exactly the same rules on vaping products both with and without nicotine ...
Swedish Chemicals Agency swings in line with TPD
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 25th January 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
The Swedish Chemicals Agency has changed its interpretation regarding e-liquids with nicotine concentration over 17 mg/ml.As ECigIntelligence reported a few months ago, authorities required both producers and consumers to obtain a permit for the sale and use of...
EU science committee: e-cigs are ‘emerging public health issue’
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 22nd January 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
The European Commission Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks has identified e-cigs as one of the main emerging health-related issues in Europe ...
JT shows two new higher-temp HnB devices for Japan
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 21st January 2019 || Business briefing |
Japan Tobacco (JT) is launching two new heat-not-burn (HnB) devices in the Japanese market on 29th January as it tries to catch up with Philip Morris International (PMI)’s IQOS and British American Tobacco (BAT)’s Glo in its home...
Austria beefs up regulatory stance with Non-Smoking Act
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 21st January 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
Austria has recently tightened up its regulatory stance with the Non Smoking Act (Nichtraucherschutzgesetz) restricting the purchasing age for e-cigs and similar tobacco products to 18 years old, from 1st January 2019. Previously, the minimum age for buying...
Praise for Public Health England’s demonstration of smoking harm
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 15th January 2019 || Business briefing |
A video made by public relations firm Freuds for Public Health England (PHE) – whose involvement with the company has caused controversy – has been praised for its portrayal of vaping versus smoking ...
Israel adopts plain packaging and ad restrictions, prepares flavour ban
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 8th January 2019 || Regulatory briefing |
Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, has passed a law requiring plain packaging for e-cigarettes. It will also bring in new restrictions on the advertising and marketing, equating e-cigs with combustible tobacco ...
Threats and promises: the shape of vaping things to come in 2019
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 31st December 2018 || Business briefing |
The year just gone has been an intense one for the vaping industry – and don’t expect 2019 to be any less so. ECigIntelligence looks ahead to the developments that can be expected in both regulation and markets...
Mission accomplished: Altria confirms its $12.8bn investment in Juul
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 20th December 2018 || Business briefing |
The rumours have been confirmed: Altria is investing $12.8bn for a 35% percent stake in the Californian start-up Juul Labs, the company has announced ...
Italy reduces e-cigarette and heat-not-burn tax burden by up to 80%
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 14th December 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
Italy has passed the much anticipated law reducing tax on e-liquids and halving duties on heated tobacco. The decree cuts the duty on nicotine-containing liquids from 50% to 10% of the tax on conventional cigarettes ...Sense and sensibilities behind Juul’s rumoured deal with Altria
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 5th December 2018 || Business briefing |
A possible agreement between Altria and Juul, with the tobacco giant rumoured to be seeking a minority share in the successful e-cig company, could have major implications for the US vapour market ...
Another bill put forward as Ukraine continues to ponder e-cig regulation
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 29th November 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, is considering a number of legal amendments that could bring major changes to the regulation of vaping products, including taxation ...
BAT acquires Germany’s biggest vape store chain, Highendsmoke
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 26th November 2018 || Business briefing |
British American Tobacco (BAT) has acquired the German company Quantus, which operates a chain of more than 80 vape stores across the country under the name Highendsmoke ...
Court of Justice rejects Swedish Match bid to overturn European snus ban
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 22nd November 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has upheld the ban on the sale of snus which has applied since 1992 in the whole EU except Sweden, which was granted an exemption under the 2014 TPD ...
Big Tobacco welcomes FDA youth restrictions – but not proposed menthol ban
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 16th November 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
The tobacco industry has reacted positively to the US FDA plan for limiting most flavour sales to adults-only premises, part of the federal agency’s efforts to tackle high rates of e-cig use among minors ...
Euro politicians get round the table in Brussels to discuss e-cig regulation
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 12th November 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
The future of vaping regulation in Europe is generating interest in Brussels, where various groups have been debating the right way ahead ...
FDA set to ban fruit and candy flavours in convenience stores and fuel stations
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 9th November 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
The US FDA is to ban the sale of fruit and candy e-cig flavours. It is reported the ban will affect convenience stores and fuel stations, but not vape stores ...
As time ticks down, UK vape trade is asked to consider a ‘no deal’ Brexit
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 12th October 2018 || Regulatory briefing |
The UK Department of Health is consulting on the changes that will affect the e-cig industry if the UK leaves the EU with no deal with Brussels, especially those affecting product notifications and labelling ...
PMI predicts a big future for IQOS – ‘30% of our sales by 2025’
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 12th October 2018 || Business briefing |
Philip Morris International (PMI) confidently expects to shift more heated tobacco devices and consumables in the next few years as a fall is anticipated in sales of combustible cigarettes ...
Juul vs J Well – e-cig manufacturers prepare for patents battle
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 10th October 2018 || Business briefing |
Juul has filed a suit at the UK’s High Court claiming its line of UK patents was infringed by French firm J Well – whose CEO told ECigIntelligence it was prepared to fight the allegation ...