Regulatory briefing
The regulatory briefing section offers regulatory news and updates from the e-cigarette industry worldwide. Briefings cover topics such as: introduction and passing of relevant bills and bans; changes to regulations in individual countries or regions; and how current affairs and government policies are affecting the industry. It also provides ECigIntelligence’s expert summary of events and analysis.
NICE advice says smokers should ‘stop completely’ – and then quit e-cigs too
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 30th November 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published new recommendations on how to help promote quitting smoking, and how to introduce tools such as e-cigarettes into conversations with smokers ...
China brings e-cigarettes under the national Tobacco Monopoly Law
Written by ECigIntelligence || 29th November 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Li Keqiang, premier of the State Council of China, has approved with immediate effect an addition to the Tobacco Monopoly Law, clarifying what has been a grey area surrounding the regulation of e-cigarettes ...
Company goes to Supreme Court after judge rejects stay of US FDA denial order
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 26th November 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Breeze Smoke is asking the US Supreme Court to stay a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) marketing denial order (MDO) after the Court of Appeals rejected such motion ...
Anti-smoking groups welcome appeal court ruling on Quebec’s Tobacco Act
Written by ECigIntelligence || 23rd November 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Canadian anti-smoking groups have applauded the decision by Quebec’s Court of Appeal to overturn a lower court judgement that struck down parts of a provincial law putting vaping products under tobacco regulations ...
US House passes new federal vaping tax – now Biden’s big bill heads to the Senate
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 22nd November 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The US House of Representatives has passed president Joe Biden's $1.75tn social spending bill, including a new federal tax on nicotine vaping products ...
North Carolina launches a lawsuit against the founders of Juul Labs
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 19th November 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Less than six months after striking a $40m settlement with Juul Labs, the state of North Carolina is suing its founders amid ongoing concerns on “kid-friendly flavors, youth marketing, and poor age verification” ...
MPs urge UK government to combat ‘misinformation’ and support vaping
Written by Antonia di Lorenzo || 18th November 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
MPs have called on the UK government to take the forthcoming Tobacco Control Plan as an opportunity to tackle misinformation around tobacco alternatives and encourage switching to less harmful products ...
US Congress prepares to vote on tax to make vaping as expensive as smoking
Written by ECigIntelligence || 17th November 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
A revised draft of US president Joe Biden’s $1.75tn Build Back Better Bill, which includes a new federal tax on e-cigarettes, is expected to be voted on by the House of Representatives this week ...
Flavour ban advocate Califf picked by Biden to take charge of US FDA again
Written by ECigIntelligence || 15th November 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
A 70-year-old cardiologist who has backed a flavour ban on vaping products has been nominated by president Joe Biden to return to the role of commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ...
COP9 ends with calls to put tobacco-alternatives at centre of 2023 session
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 12th November 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The all-online COP9 finished without any major decision, but with calls for serious attention to be given to novel and emerging tobacco products at COP10 in 2023 ...
Appeals court grants another company a stay of US FDA’s marketing denial order
Written by ECigIntelligence || 11th November 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
A US court has granted another stay request to a company that sued the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after the agency issued a marketing denial order (MDO) for its flavoured vaping products ...As COP9 begins, scientists urge WHO to abandon its ‘irrational’ approach
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 8th November 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Experts have urged the parties to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) to embrace a “more assertive” stance on smoke-free alternatives ...
Swiss parliament adopts youth sales ban, advertising and packaging restrictions
Written by ECigIntelligence || 4th November 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The Swiss Federal Assembly has adopted a longstanding bill equating e-cigarettes with traditional tobacco, despite divisions between political parties over the right approach to tobacco alternatives ...
Manufacturer sues FDA for ‘irreparable harm’ despite PMTA reconsideration
Written by ECigIntelligence || 3rd November 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Florida-based e-cigarette manufacturer Bidi Vapor has taken the US FDA to court claiming “continued irreparable harm” from being given a marketing denial order (MDO) for its vaping products ...
UK health authorities pave the way for prescription-only stronger e-cigs
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 2nd November 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is backing the idea of e-cigarettes as a licensed therapy, available on prescription for smokers who want to quit ...
Delaying COP9 talks on novel products ‘may damage tobacco control’, warns EU
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 29th October 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
European countries have publicly expressed disagreement with the World Health Organization (WHO)’s decision to postpone discussions of novel tobacco products, keeping them out of the upcoming COP9 ...
Mixed reactions as Northern Ireland prepares to ban vaping in cars with kids
Written by ECigIntelligence || 27th October 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Northern Ireland’s Department of Health has presented plans to implement a smoking and vaping ban in private cars when children are present and to ban the sale of nicotine e-liquids to...
Hong Kong council approves ‘milestone’ ban on e-cigarette imports and sales
Written by ECigIntelligence || 25th October 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Hong Kong’s lawmakers have passed a bill banning the import and sale of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products ...
Mexico’s Supreme Court rules against unconstitutional decree banning e-cigs
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 22nd October 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The federal high court in Mexico ruled this week against the 2020 presidential decree banning vaping products after concluding that such prohibition violates the “freedom of trade” ...
FDA technical review throws light on agency’s priorities for e-cigarettes
Written by Barnaby Page || 20th October 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
While some of the biggest players in the US vapour market wait for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to decide whether their products can remain on sale, the agency has provided some insight into its processes and...
PMTAs: after the Reynolds approvals, which way will the FDA go next?
Written by ECigIntelligence || 15th October 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
“The importance of the FDA authorising a vaping product as ‘appropriate for the protection of public health’ should not be understated,” said Greg Conley, president of the American Vaping Association ...
Kyrgyzstan bans vaping in public places and prepares new e-cig restrictions
Written by ECigIntelligence || 15th October 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The use of e-cigarettes and tobacco in public places became illegal this week in Kyrgyzstan – where there is also a proposal to ban both disposable and open-system e-cigs ...
First PMTA success for Reynolds’s Vuse products – but tobacco flavours only
Written by Barnaby Page || 13th October 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued its first marketing authorisations for e-cigarette products, following the rejection of millions of others. The authorisations cover RJ Reynolds’s Vuse Solo device and two 4.8% nicotine tobacco-flavoured pods ...
Turning Point withdraws legal action after FDA back-tracks on PMTA refusal
Written by ECigIntelligence || 12th October 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has rescinded its marketing denial order (MDO) affecting 14 Turning Point Brands products, saying “relevant information that was not adequately assessed” ...
Turning Point Brands seeks emergency court ruling against FDA denial order
Written by ECigIntelligence || 8th October 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Turning Point Brands (TPB) is challenging in court the Marketing Denial Order (MDO) issued by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to its premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) as it considers the decision “arbitrary” ...
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 ...
MEPs propose changes in approach to vaping in European cancer report
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 5th October 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
MEPs have tabled a set of proposals to amend a draft report by the Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECA), calling on the European Commission to implement a flavour ban on all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes ...
US FDA questioned about pending PMTAs and enforcement for non-compliance
Written by Antonia di Lorenzo || 1st October 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
US senators have urged the FDA to implement a timeline to decide on the pending PMTAs and to reveal how it will ensure that there are no non-compliant products on the market ...
Australian GPs expect surge in patients as prescription scheme comes into force
Written by ECigIntelligence || 30th September 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Australian doctors anticipate an increase in appointments with patients wanting prescriptions for nicotine e-cigarettes after new regulations come into force ...
European Commission survey gives thumbs-up to tax harmony across EU
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 28th September 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
New figures from the European Commission reveal broad support for harmonised tax rules for tobacco-alternative products ...
Harm reduction still on the agenda as UK’s new public health minister steps in
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 24th September 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The appointment of Maggie Throup as UK junior health minister comes at a key time for tobacco alternatives, with the vaping industry hoping she will continue the harm reduction approach of her predecessor ...
Why are WHO talks on novel tobacco products postponed from COP9 to 2023?
Written by Antonia di Lorenzo || 21st September 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The World Health Organization (WHO) has decided to postpone a discussion on novel tobacco products to a face-to-face event in 2023 – a decision experts are linking to a lack of consensus ...
Canada’s approach to vaping regulation and flavours lies in the election balance
Written by ECigIntelligence || 20th September 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
One of the first tasks facing Canada’s incoming health minister will be the implementation of a new set of federal regulations for vaping products – which may or may not include a planned ban on flavours ...
BAT urges Middle Eastern governments to adopt tobacco harm reduction
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 17th September 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
British American Tobacco (BAT) is engaging with national authorities in the Middle East to encourage adoption of tobacco harm reduction (THR) policies ...
‘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 ...
MEPs table amendments to include harm reduction in European cancer report
Written by Antonia di Lorenzo || 14th September 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Three Italian members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are hoping to introduce the concept of harm reduction into a strategy report by the Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECA) ...
FDA’s PMTA denials get a warm political welcome – but not the delay over Juul
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 13th September 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s denial of premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) has been welcomed by politicians and public health bodies – with severe reservations about the delay over Juul and others ...
US FDA rejects 5.5m PMTAs; Juul’s application still under review
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 9th September 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has rejected most of the 6m premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) it received for vaping products, but Juul’s intently-watched application remains under review ...
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? ...
Argentina’s ruling party puts forward ‘fundamental’ proposal to ban e-cigs
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 8th September 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
A bill to prohibit the manufacturing, distribution, sale and use of e-cigarettes in Argentina has been presented in the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the National Congress ...
Californian proposal for 12.5% e-cig tax on its way to under-fire governor
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 6th September 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
A new 12.5% sales tax on e-cigarettes has been approved by the California State Legislature and now requires only the signature of governor Gavin Newsom – who is facing a recall election next week ...
US FDA denies more PMTAs a week before the final deadline – ‘more will follow’
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 2nd September 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a number of “additional” marketing denial orders (MDOs) for flavoured e-cigarettes, denying their premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) ...
US Congress looks set to cut Biden’s proposed budget for the FDA by half
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 31st August 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
Both the House and the Senate are intent on increasing the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) budget for next year, but the figure is likely to be well short of the $6.5bn proposed by president Joe Biden...
German state of Hesse prepares updated rule to clamp down on passive vaping
Written by ECigIntelligence || 30th August 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The German state of Hesse is aiming to strengthen protection against passive smoking by targeting e-cigarettes and heated tobacco in a new legislative initiative to update the current regulations ...
US FDA denies marketing authorisation for 55,000 flavoured vapour products
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 27th August 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ruled out premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) for 55,000 flavoured vapour products after concluding that on balance they pose a threat to public health ...
State AGs join in calling on FDA to deny PMTAs for flavoured vaping products
Written by Antonia di Lorenzo || 24th August 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
A group of 31 US attorneys general has joined together in urging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to deny premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) for vaping products ...
Italian proposal calls for prison officials to allow inmates to use e-cigs
Written by Antonia di Lorenzo || 23rd August 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The Italian Department of Prison Administration (DAP) has been urged to implement a 2016 circular that authorised the use of e-cigarettes by inmates ...
Taiwanese regions and cities follow same trend in tightening e-cig public usage
Written by ECigIntelligence || 16th August 2021 || Regulatory briefing |
The most populous city in Taiwan has recently joined eight regions in implementing new legislation restricting the use and sale of e-cigs and heated tobacco ...