Blog
What’s so bad about flavours? What impact will a new US administration have on the vaping industry? And how can young people and e-cigarettes be kept apart? These and other hot industry topics are explored in our blog, written by our team with the benefit of our in-house intelligence.
What lies behind Filipino health officials’ spat with the country’s COP9 delegation?
Written by Antonia di Lorenzo || 24th November 2021 || Blog |
Conflict between public health concerns and political-economic interests seems to be the main reason behind an internal dispute between the Philippine delegation to COP9 and officials at the country’s Department of Health ...
Will Califf and the Biden administration really heed the science on e-cigarettes?
Written by Aidan Semmens || 18th November 2021 || Blog |
Robert Califf, US president Joe Biden’s choice to take up leadership of the FDA again, has unfinished business with the agency – and with e-cigarettes in particular ...
The influencer and the e-cig – a moral tale for our rapidly changing times
Written by Antonia di Lorenzo || 10th November 2021 || Blog |
The misleading advertising on social media of tobacco alternatives such as e-cigarettes has become a critical concern of public health groups and some governments around the world ...
While WHO won’t even talk about them, UK prepares for e-cigs on prescription
Written by Aidan Semmens || 4th November 2021 || Blog |
The timing, one clear week before the opening of COP9, the latest (virtual) gathering of the parties to the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), was interesting ...
A regulatory gulf is set to open between neighbours Shenzhen and Hong Kong
Written by Aidan Semmens || 28th October 2021 || Blog |
It’s about 19 miles from downtown Shenzhen to the centre of Hong Kong as the crow flies, but in e-cigarette terms the distance between them is huge and about to get bigger ...
An ‘epidemic’ of double-think among the anti-vaping brigade – and not just in US
Written by Aidan Semmens || 21st October 2021 || Blog |
Public handwringing about the alleged “epidemic” of youth vaping has become tantamount to an epidemic itself – and and here’s a striking example from Bangladesh ...
FDA’s views on Vuse have potential to change the whole vaping landscape
Written by Aidan Semmens || 14th October 2021 || Blog |
The granting of RJ Reynolds’s PMTAs for its Vuse Solo e-cigarette device and two of its pods is very big news for the US vaping industry, its supporters, its customers, and its opponents ...
A hammer to crack a nut: what the PMTA process reveals about US FDA approach
Written by Barnaby Page || 7th October 2021 || Blog , Regulatory briefing |
Some light is now dawning on some truths long since suspected about the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s evaluation of e-cigarettes ...
Reporting disorder: don’t let the facts get in the way of a good bad-news story
Written by Aidan Semmens || 22nd September 2021 || Blog |
Politicians and all those who lay down the law have become very fond of talking about “following the science”. Which sounds like a good idea, right? Well, yes, as long as it’s good science and not a bad...
‘Significant progress’ – but the US FDA’s biggest decisions are still to come
Written by Aidan Semmens || 15th September 2021 || Blog , Regulatory briefing |
The dog didn’t eat all the FDA’s homework – just 7% of it. But there will be those who argue that the missing 7% was the crucial bit all along ...
On California’s Animal Farm for former hippies it’s cannabis good, e-cigs bad
Written by Aidan Semmens || 10th September 2021 || Blog |
There’s a paradox in supposedly liberal Californian political thinking that shows up most sharply when you compare official attitudes to e-cigarettes and cannabis ...
Into the great unknown as US FDA’s deadline to decide on PMTAs arrives
Written by Barnaby Page || 9th September 2021 || Blog , Regulatory briefing |
As the US Food and Drug Administration's deadline to pass or reject e-cigarette premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) arrives, where does it leave the market and the as-yet undetermined applications? ...
The FDA can’t win on PMTAs. But should it really be taking the fight to flavours?
Written by Aidan Semmens || 2nd September 2021 || Blog |
It’s hard to argue against the view that packaging and advertising e-cigarette products in a “kid-friendly” way is irresponsible. But are flavours in themselves innately kid-friendly? ...
State attorneys’ knee-jerk interjection is no sound basis for federal regulation
Written by Barnaby Page || 27th August 2021 || Blog |
31 US state attorneys want to ban all non-tobacco flavours, including menthol, from e-cigarettes – but is their plea helpful, appropriate or logical? ...
As FDA faces a paperwork tsunami, big firms may come out of it best
Written by Barnaby Page || 19th August 2021 || Blog , Business briefing |
The number of applications thrown in the metaphorical dumpster is huge, but so is number of outstanding applications, and the question remains how the FDA can possibly deal with all of them ...
How will Australia’s new sales regime work?
Written by Barnaby Page || 11th August 2021 || Blog , Business briefing |
Australian consumers will soon be able to obtain medically licensed nicotine-containing e-cigarettes from community and online pharmacies, but questions remain ...
WHO puts its case against e-cigarettes: time to round up the usual suspects
Written by Aidan Semmens || 5th August 2021 || Blog |
In the heavyweight battle over e-cigarettes between the World Health Organization and the world’s vaping advocates, does anyone really have incontrovertible evidence on their side? ...
Smoking, vaping and driving – a question of risk perception vs relative true risk
Written by Aidan Semmens || 29th July 2021 || Blog |
When a driver dropped a lit cigarette into his lap it could have caused a tragic traffic accident: are such perils the real reason to quit smoking? And are facial injuries a key argument against e-cigs? ...
What’s the plain truth about packaging? Does going neutral really work?
Written by Aidan Semmens || 22nd July 2021 || Blog |
Up to now the received wisdom has been that taking distinctive branding off cigarette packs and making them all the same drab, ugly brown will dissuade people from buying them. Now a new study throws that theory into...
Juul in jeopardy? That’s how the press is billing the FDA’s upcoming PMTA verdict
Written by Aidan Semmens || 15th July 2021 || Blog |
The US press are calling it a “fight for survival” for the e-cigarette giant – but as one experts says, “The FDA has to evaluate this in a forward-looking way and can’t really punish Juul” ...
Vaping has yet to find its Bogart – and perhaps it’s really better that way
Written by Aidan Semmens || 9th July 2021 || Blog |
In the old movies, smoking was both normal and cool. Is it possible to imagine vaping having the same on-screen glamour? ...
In the great e-cig flavours battle, there’s evidence to support every point of view
Written by Aidan Semmens || 25th June 2021 || Blog |
On one side, the firmly-held belief that they entice youth into vaping. On the other, the equally strong view that they are vital in weaning smokers off their deadly habit. So what does the science say about flavours?...
E-cigs vs Covid: never mind the science, let’s all just follow our instincts instead
Written by Aidan Semmens || 18th June 2021 || Blog |
Is vaping or smoking a risk factor for Covid-19 – or could it even be protective? Your answer to that question may say more about you than it does about the science ...
Was freeing e-cigarettes from FDA rule ever really a straw worth reaching for?
Written by Aidan Semmens || 11th June 2021 || Blog |
It was always a long shot – such a long shot that no one, surely, was surprised that the US Supreme Court refused to review the case ...
To vape or not to vape – that’s not the only question for the globally-focused WHO
Written by Barnaby Page || 4th June 2021 || Blog |
Advocates for e-cigarettes are often infuriated with the position taken by the World Health Organization towards vaping – but might there be some fair reason behind the WHO’s less-than-enthusiastic stance? ...
It’s all an Act – the END is not as near as Krishnamoorthi’s title sequence suggests
Written by Aidan Semmens || 21st May 2021 || Blog |
The END ENDS Act – it sounds like an existential threat to the whole e-cigarette industry in the US. Or at least an end to the legal e-cigarette industry. The reality is rather less extreme ...
Worlds apart – while others ban e-cigs, UK hospitals hand them out for free
Written by Aidan Semmens || 7th May 2021 || Blog |
Smokers visiting A&E departments in five UK hospitals are being offered free e-cigarette starter packs in a 30-day trial to determine their effectiveness in smoking cessation ...
Washington attack on nicotine in smokes could be good news for e-cigarettes
Written by Aidan Semmens || 23rd April 2021 || Blog |
News that the Biden administration is considering reducing nicotine levels in combustible cigarettes in the US has affected stock prices in the UK – and has potentially interesting implications for the vaping market ...
Smoke-free or nicotine-free? That’s the question the WHO must consider
Written by Aidan Semmens || 16th April 2021 || Blog |
Does the World Health Organization’s absolute opposition to vaping truly serve the cause of global health? The UK parliamentary panel looking into the question doesn’t think so ...
Product placement in music videos is the way to make vaping look cool to kids
Written by Aidan Semmens || 9th April 2021 || Blog |
New research suggests “exposure to e-cigarette product placement in music videos is associated with vaping among young adults”. Meanwhile, back in the Marvel universe, something strange is stirring ...
Why attempts to close the ‘gateway’ could lead to more smoking by kids, not less
Written by Aidan Semmens || 2nd April 2021 || Blog |
Is vaping by young people really as bad for public health as orthodox opinion would have it? Are young vapers really more likely to become smokers – and if so, why? New research should make some lawmakers think...
Why high-nicotine vapes might make a big difference to schizophrenia sufferers
Written by Aidan Semmens || 19th March 2021 || Blog |
A new study has found that the use of high-strength nicotine e-cigarettes can help adults with schizophrenia spectrum disorders quit smoking. And that can be both a life-saver and a life-improver ...
Vaping cannabis ‘more dangerous than smoking cigarettes’! Or is it?
Written by Aidan Semmens || 12th March 2021 || Blog |
This week’s most prominent vaping story has come with headlines like “Teens vaping pot face more health risk than cigarette smokers”. Which turns out on examination to be somewhat less than the truth ...
E-cigs to be BANNED? Never let the facts get in the way of an arresting headline
Written by Aidan Semmens || 5th March 2021 || Blog |
Who plans to ban e-cigarettes? You may well ask. But if you only read the headlines on the news stands – and, let’s face it, that’s how a lot of people get their general sense of what’s going...
Covid-19 and vaping: the facts and figures behind the newspaper horror stories
Written by Aidan Semmens || 19th February 2021 || Blog |
When it comes to scare stories that whip up unfounded associations with Covid-19, you have to question how responsible that is. Take these two recent reports from the British press ...
Why ‘the devil you know’ – smoking – appears to be making a comeback
Written by Aidan Semmens || 12th February 2021 || Blog |
Is negative publicity for e-cigarettes driving people back to smoking? It seems something is, at least in the US – despite, or perhaps even because of, the Covid-19 pandemic ...
It’s the not-burning question: When is an e-cigarette not a vape – and vice-versa?
Written by Aidan Semmens || 5th February 2021 || Blog |
What is an e-cigarette? You would think that by now that would be an easy question to answer – but it seems some folk are still confused, and spreading confusion ...
New powers in Washington suggest a whole new world for US vapour
Written by Aidan Semmens || 22nd January 2021 || Blog |
Will a new political era in the US mean a new regulatory landscape for e-cigarettes? ...
Is it just coincidence that as youth vaping rises, cigarette smoking declines?
Written by Aidan Semmens || 15th January 2021 || Blog |
How do levels of youth vaping relate to smoking levels? This question goes right to the heart of attitudes and policy on e-cigarettes ...
So what’s so wrong with vaping flavours? Chocolate or banana, anyone?
Written by Aidan Semmens || 19th December 2020 || Blog |
The real danger in e-liquid flavours may not be a question of who they appeal to, but of what they do to the user’s lungs ...
Does the coronavirus pandemic signal the end of the youth vaping ‘epidemic’?
Written by Aidan Semmens || 12th December 2020 || Blog |
Has the pandemic brought an end to the so-called epidemic of teen vaping? Is it even the beginning of the end? It’s too complex and too early to tell for sure ...
Why the US vapour industry should fasten its seat-belts for a bumpy ride
Written by Aidan Semmens || 5th December 2020 || Blog |
Everyone from Big Tobacco to the small vape store will have a keen eye on who president-elect Joe Biden picks to be the next chief of the FDA, the US agency with responsibility for regulating tobacco and e-cigs...
E-cigarettes and the young – does anyone have a sure way to keep them apart?
Written by Aidan Semmens || 29th November 2020 || Blog |
It’s the question that goes right to heart of e-cigarette regulation – and anxiety about it – all across the world: How can e-cigarettes be kept out of the hands of young people? ...
Tobacco or not? The nicotine may be synthetic, but the question is real enough
Written by Aidan Semmens || 21st November 2020 || Blog |
Can synthetic nicotine possibly be classified as tobacco? At the most straightforward level, the answer has to be “no”. But it’s a bit more complicated than that ...
Are China’s privately owned e-cigarette businesses living on borrowed time?
Written by Aidan Semmens || 16th November 2020 || Blog |
While small private enterprises may be allowed – even encouraged – to thrive, there is always the chance that too rapid growth may provoke the state corporation to move in ...
If Biden wins, will a new administration be bad news for the US vapour industry?
Written by Aidan Semmens || 30th October 2020 || Blog |
Will a Biden victory spell tougher times for the US e-cigarette industry? The short and obvious is: probably. But of course it’s more complicated than that ...
Why taxing e-liquids may not be quite such a bad thing for the vapour trade
Written by Aidan Semmens || 24th October 2020 || Blog |
Can a tax on e-liquids actually help the e-cigarette industry? It sounds counter-intuitive even to suggest that’s possible ...
If there’s a scientific consensus on e-cigs, it may not be quite what you think
Written by Aidan Semmens || 16th October 2020 || Blog |
Is there a scientific consensus on the harmfulness of e-cigarettes? The latest review of the best science on the subject suggests that certain widely-held views don't have the evidence behind them ...