Asia: Market and regulatory data analysis of the vaping sector

Hong Kong will look again at banning e-cigs after September elections

Written by ECigIntelligence | 29th June 2020

Hong Kong will reintroduce a bill to ban tobacco-alternative products after local elections in September. The Legislative Council halted discussions on the existing bill due to a lack of time ...

Philippines on track for strict e-cig regulation, awaits public comments

Written by ECigIntelligence | 18th June 2020

The Philippines Food and Drug Administration (FDA) appears to be tightening its grip on the country’s e-cigarette industry with a detailed proposal to regulate vapour products ...

Accusations fly over proposal for a nationwide e-cigarette ban in China

Written by ECigIntelligence | 16th June 2020

Proposals for the national regulation of e-cigarettes in China range from advertising restrictions to a controversial suggestion by the boss of a pharmaceutical company that they should be totally banned ...

Taiwan proposal would ban e-cigs but leave uncertainty over other products

Written by Marija Obradovic | 8th June 2020

The Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare has released a draft proposal to ban e-cigarettes, while leaving open the possibility of market approval for some reduced-risk products ...

World No Tobacco Day 2020: the debate about harm reduction

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 31st May 2020

World No Tobacco Day provides an opportunity to consider the approach that public health authorities, policymakers, and advocates around the world have towards the role of tobacco-alternatives products ...

Limited enforcement of the online sales and advertising ban in China

Written by ECigIntelligence | 14th May 2020

The enforcement of the ban issued in China in late 2019 that prohibits the online sales of e-cigarettes as well as vaping advertising has proven relatively ineffective, ECigIntelligence has found ...

Juul hits hard times as it plans to exit EU markets, US sales drop 10%

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 6th May 2020

Juul is not having the best of times, with an increasing decline in sales leading the company to pull out of South Korea and some European countries – while its sales in the US are...

Health advocates urge Indonesian president to act against vaping

Written by ECigIntelligence | 27th April 2020

A large grouping of non-profit and health organisations has called on Indonesian president Joko Widodo to take a stricter stance against e-cigarettes and other tobacco products in the battle against COVID-19 ...

Korean court rejects complaint against health ministry advice to avoid e-cigs

Written by ECigIntelligence | 25th March 2020

A judge in Seoul has dismissed a petition by the South Korean Electronic Cigarette Association questioning whether reports issued by the Ministry of Health and Welfare recommending people not to vape were unconstitutional ...

BAT plans on near 500% increase in smoke-free users in 10 years, reports no hit from coronavirus

Written by ECigIntelligence | 24th March 2020

British American Tobacco (BAT) is targeting an increase in non-combustible product consumers to 50m worldwide by 2030, from the current 11m ...

Spring vaping shows and exhibitions worldwide fall victim to coronavirus

Written by ECigIntelligence | 16th March 2020

Fears over the coronavirus outbreak, and governments’ responses to it, have led to the cancellation of a number of vaping events that were scheduled over spring at locations around the world ...

Duterte issues further regulation of e-cigarettes in the Philippines

Written by ECigIntelligence | 12th March 2020

Following his order that extended the ban on smoking in public spaces to include vaping, president Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines has now issued a further raft of restrictions on e-cigarettes ...

BAT posts big rise in next-generation revenues despite US crackdown

Written by ECigIntelligence | 27th February 2020

British American Tobacco (BAT) has reported a 36.9% increase in next-generation products revenue in 2019 despite the recent and ongoing crackdown on vaping in the US ...

Juul suspends all sales in Indonesia, faces probe by coalition of US states

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 27th February 2020

Less than a year after launching in the country, Juul Labs is stopping selling all its products in Indonesia while it puts new measures in place to combat under-age purchases. Juul also faces further legal...

Turkey confirms import ban on all e-cigarette devices and e-liquids

Written by Angela Jarosz | 26th February 2020

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has signed an order banning the import of e-cigarettes and e-liquids into Turkey ...

Our new special intelligence service now covers the wider tobacco field

Written by ECigIntelligence | 25th February 2020

TobaccoIntelligence, a new service from the team that produces ECigIntelligence, is now available, covering the global tobacco and nicotine alternatives sector ...

Coronavirus in China may mean global shortages for vaping manufacturers

Written by ECigIntelligence | 25th February 2020

The coronavirus that has so far killed more than 2600 people in China has had limited impact up to now in the vaping industry around the world, but severe movement restrictions have raised fears ...

Islamic fatwa is issued, telling 50m Indonesians they must not use e-cigs

Written by ECigIntelligence | 14th February 2020

The second largest Islamic organisation in Indonesia, with around 50m members, has issued a formal ruling banning e-cigarettes ...

Rising ‘sin tax’ delivers fresh blow to struggling Philippines e-cig trade

Written by ECigIntelligence | 12th February 2020

President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign to increase annually the “sin” taxes on e-cigarettes, vapour products, and alcoholic drinks in the Philippines goes on. The Republic Act 11467, signed by Duterte on 22nd January, combines House Bill...

Delayed Malaysian regulation now expected to be put forward in June

Written by ECigIntelligence | 10th February 2020

Malaysia is now expected to table its first e-cigarette regulation in June, but officials in Kuala Lumpur are still assessing how restrictive the new rules should be ...

44% rise in HnB shipments drives a year of smoke-free growth for PMI

Written by ECigIntelligence | 6th February 2020

PMI saw its market share of heated tobacco units in IQOS markets, excluding the US, rise by 1.4 percentage points to 5% last year, with a 44.2% increase in HnB shipments ...

South Korea plans further restrictions on promotion of tobacco alternatives

Written by ECigIntelligence | 4th February 2020

The South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare wants to ban practices such as the offering of discounts for e-cigarette or heated tobacco products and to make events with free giveaways of such products illegal...

JT to slash prices of Ploom Tech devices in bid to capture Japanese market

Written by ECigIntelligence | 29th January 2020

Japan Tobacco (JT) is cutting the price of its Ploom Tech and Ploom Tech+ hybrid devices from 1st February as it continues to lag behind its chief Big Tobacco competitors in its home market ...

Indonesian policy group suggests tax incentive for tobacco alternatives

Written by ECigIntelligence | 14th January 2020

A plan by the Indonesian government to equate vaping products with combustible cigarettes has been criticised by a Jakarta-based policy think-tank ...

South Korean inspectors find labels understate nicotine level in e-liquids

Written by ECigIntelligence | 8th January 2020

The South Korean Board of Audit and Inspection says it tested ten e-liquids labelled as having less than 1% nicotine and found half of them in fact contained more than that ...

ECigIntelligence international regulatory live alerts service

Written by ECigIntelligence | 5th December 2019

ECigIntelligence is launching a new International Alerts round-up for Platinum + and Platinum Pro subscribers to enable them to stay on track with regulatory developments in international markets ...

BAT launches new HnB in Korea amid government crackdown

Written by ECigIntelligence | 29th November 2019

Late November saw British American Tobacco (BAT) launch its “most advanced” heated tobacco product in South Korea – during a critical political period in which the government has taken a harsh stance towards vaping and...

Philippines police arrest vapers after President Duterte orders crackdown

Written by ECigIntelligence | 28th November 2019

Police in the Philippines have arrested more than 200 vapers after president Rodrigo Duterte issued a verbal order to enforce bans on the importation of e-cigarettes and their use in public ...

Indonesia embarks on the legislative road to banning e-cigs from 2020

Written by ECigIntelligence | 25th November 2019

A revision of Indonesia’s main tobacco control regulation is under way, with the aim of banning all e-cigarette products, flavours and additives in the near future ...

Chinese court to hear first case for misleading e-cigarette branding

Written by ECigIntelligence | 18th November 2019

Chinese e-cigarette companies have been caught in the country’s first civil court case for allegedly claiming that their vaping products pose no or little harm to people’s health ...

Philippines Congress puts a block on ‘unnecessary’ plan to ban e-cigarettes

Written by ECigIntelligence | 14th November 2019

A proposal by the Philippines Department of Health (DOH) to ban e-cigarettes in the country has been turned down by lawmakers because it contradicted a previously approved bill on their taxation ...

Major Korean c-store chains take flavoured e-cigs off the shelves

Written by ECigIntelligence | 7th November 2019

Four major convenience store chains in South Korea are to suspend sales of some flavoured e-cigarettes after the government announced it is carrying out an assessment of possible health effects ...

China demands an end to e-cigarette sales online and to young people

Written by Marija Obradovic | 4th November 2019

China’s tobacco and market regulators have announced a major crackdown on e-cigarette sales and advertising, reiterating the ban on sales to minors and demanding the closing-down of e-cig websites ...

JTI lowers its 2019 forecast as Japanese Ploom Tech sales fall

Written by ECigIntelligence | 31st October 2019

Falling sales of Japan Tobacco’s heated tobacco device Ploom Tech have hit the company’s total revenue from reduced risk products, which fell by JPY7.1bn ($65.7m) to JPY17.8bn ($164.6m) in Q3 2019 ...

Chinese tobacco monopoly says it is working to 'step up' e-cig regulation

Written by ECigIntelligence | 31st October 2019

China's state tobacco monopoly is studying plans to tighten regulations on the sale and use of e-cigarettes, after a government adviser publicly declared support for an outright ban on vaping products ...

Turkey preparing to get even tougher on e-cig imports and public vaping

Written by ECigIntelligence | 28th October 2019

The Turkish Ministry of Health is drafting a new proposal to clamp down on public vaping and the importing of vapour devices, officials have confirmed to ECigIntelligence ...

India puts e-cigarette and heated tobacco ban out to public consultation

Written by Marija Obradovic | 26th October 2019

Following the ordinance banning e-cigarettes and heated tobacco, the Indian government is moving forward by drafting a bill which must be approved by parliament reaffirming its effects ...

South Korea tightens e-cig rules in wake of first death linked to vaping

Written by ECigIntelligence | 24th October 2019

South Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare has announced a set of measures to restrict imports, sales and use of e-cigarettes and recommended users to stop vaping to avoid “lung damage and death” ...

Israel may be hit with all-out e-cig ban until parliament decides on new law

Written by ECigIntelligence | 21st October 2019

Israel’s Ministry of Health is considering issuing an emergency regulation that would ban e-cigarettes in the country until parliament, the Knesset, discusses new legislation ...

Researchers find possible flaw in argument for low-nicotine e-cigs

Written by ECigIntelligence | 15th October 2019

E-cigs that don’t deliver enough nicotine may do more harm than good by encouraging the use of tobacco, according to a new US study. We report on this and other research into vaping prevalence and...

Court grants breathing-space to e-cig firms challenging India’s ban

Written by Marija Obradovic | 9th October 2019

An Indian judge has granted interim relief, allowing two vaping companies to keep their e-cig stocks pending the adoption of a ban on the production, distribution, import and sales of e-cigarettes nationwide ...

Imperial lowers growth forecast; CEO resignation causes uncertainty

Written by ECigIntelligence | 4th October 2019

Imperial Brands CEO Alison Cooper’s resignation is being seen as a catalyst – alongside challenging market conditions for tobacco, and regulatory changes in the US for next-generation products (NGP) – for uncertain times among Big...

Philippines e-cig makers in race to comply with new licensing law

Written by ECigIntelligence | 1st October 2019

Vaping companies in the Philippines are entering the final stretch before the government starts monitoring their activities and enforcing new regulations ...

South Korea cracks down on public smoking, vaping and HnB use

Written by ECigIntelligence | 25th September 2019

Local authorities across South Korea are carrying out patrols to enforce regulations against smoking, vaping and use of heat-not-burn (HnB) products in a wide range of public places ...

Study urges caution on legalising e-cigarettes to cut smoking rates

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 24th September 2019

Legalising e-cigarettes in countries where they are currently banned may not be the best available approach to reducing smoking, a recent study suggests ...

Big Tobacco job cuts highlight growing pressure on combustibles business

Written by ECigIntelligence | 19th September 2019

A wave of workforce cuts by major companies such as British American Tobacco (BAT) and Japan Tobacco International (JTI) may be just the tip of the iceberg for Big Tobacco ...

India: the axe falls, with nationwide e-cig ban taking immediate effect

Written by ECigIntelligence | 18th September 2019

The Indian government has imposed a nationwide ban on e-cigarettes. All production, manufacture, storage, import, export, sale, transport, distribution and advertising of e-cigs is prohibited immediately ...

Dubai vape show organisers fear effects of UAE’s 100% e-cig tax

Written by ECigIntelligence | 10th September 2019

Organisers of a major vape trade show to be held in Dubai next year fear the introduction of a “sin tax” on e-cigarettes in the United Arab Emirates will hit a market that was only...

Philippines vapour industry faces hike in taxes before they even come in

Written by ECigIntelligence | 10th September 2019

Barely a month after Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte signed a law setting taxes on heated tobacco and vaping products, the House of Representatives has opted to change the entire tax structure ...

Chinese e-cig imports into US rocket even as Trump’s tariffs war rages

Written by ECigIntelligence | 28th August 2019

While relations between the two countries are soured by Donald Trump’s tariffs announcements, e-cigarette imports into the US from China have increased dramatically ...

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