News
India: Former TII Director Appointed ITC’s Head of Cigarette Business
Devraj Lahiri, former Tobacco Institute of India (TII) was appointed divisional chief executive for tobacco business, succeeding Sandeep Kaul. Read more
China: Tumult in E-Cig Biz; Maker Drops NYSE Listing Plans
Shenzhen-based e-cigarette maker Aspire Global filed a withdrawal request with the Securities and Exchange Commission, pulling out of its proposed listing filed last June as China’s new e-cigarette regulations make expansion, distribution... Read more
Habanos of Cuba Breaks Turnover Record
Corporación Habanos, S.A., released its financial data for the 2021 financial year showing a turnover of US$568 million, with a 15% growth compared to the previous year. Read more
PMI Bids to Acquire Swedish Match
Philip Morris Holland Holdings B.V. (PMHH), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) offered US$16 billion to acquire Swedish Match as the company continues to move away from its traditional cigarette business. Read more
Tobacco Asia Podcast #9
Synthetic nicotine, used in new generation products, comes from the lab and not from the tobacco plant itself, which - until now - provided a regulatory escape route for some products manufacturers. Read more
Thailand Definitely Banning E-Cigs
Thailand’s deputy prime minister and public health minister Anutin Charnvirakul firmly stated that his ministry will not support the legalization of e-cigarettes in the country. Read more
Japan Tobacco Mulls Sell-Off of Russian Ops
Japan Tobacco (JT) announced it is considering the sale of its operations in Russia, JT International Russia, after it suspended investment and marketing activities in the country but continued manufacturing operations last month. Read more
BAT/Altria On Track to Meet Targets
British American Tobacco and Altria Group Inc. to perform well. Read more
FDA Proposed Rules on Menthol Cigs/Flavored Cigars
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued its proposed rules to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. However, FDA may allow some exemptions on a case-by-case basis for products such as heated tobacco devices... Read more
EU: Disposal Rules Stir China's HNB Suppliers
With the popularity of heated tobacco (aka heat-not-burn, or HNB) devices increasing globally, it is inevitable that the amount of waste in the form of used HNB sticks and cartridges also rises sharply. Read more
Ukraine-Russia War Triggers Multinationals’ Business Suspensions
At press time, the war of aggression waged by Russia’s military against Ukraine has shown no signs of coming to an end anytime soon. Read more
InterSupply – a Homegrown German Success Story
From September 15-17, 2022, InterSupply at Messe Dortmund will once again be the focal point of the tobacco world. Read more
A Close-up on Smoking in Films
The next target for the anti-tobacco movement is focusing on how much smoking is portrayed in movies and TV series. Read more
China: Gov't Announces Formal Control of E-Cig Business
China’s long-awaited measures to regulate e-cigarettes are now official. Read more
US Law Regulating Synthetic Nicotine Comes into Effect
New legislation enacted on March 15 allowing the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate tobacco products containing nicotine from any source, including synthetic nicotine, is now in effect. Read more
Tobacco Stocks on Fire
Despite challenging circumstances tobacco companies faced in the past few months, tobacco stocks showed strong performances and are expected to continue on this trend. Read more
Tobacco Asia Podcast #8: "Designing an NGP and Making it Market-Ready”
"Designing an NGP and Making it Market-Ready”: launching new style tobacco and vape products is getting much more complicating over the years with the ever-developing new rules, regulations, restrictions and and market barriers." Read more
Tobacco Plants Used to “Grow” Meat
An Israeli startup uses tobacco plants to help in the production of cultivated meat that is grown from animal muscle cells in a lab. Read more
WHO Rejects Needed Covid-19 Vaccine Due to Philip Morris Ties
A Covid-19 vaccine developed by Canada-based Medicago was rejected by the World Health Organization (WHO) because of Philip Morris International’s 21% ownership of the company. Read more
US Smoking Rates Reached All-Time Low in 2020
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released data saying US cigarette smoking dropped to an all-time low in 2020, in contrast to an earlier Federal Trade Commission (FTC) report for 2020... Read more