Market & legal data of the tobacco alternatives sector in Asia

Big Tobacco pleased about growth but mum on impact from regulatory changes

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 8th August 2024

All Big Tobacco companies reported growth in their smoke-free segments, reflecting a trend towards diversification from traditional cigarettes, though none have addressed the regulatory environment and its potential impact on future earnings ...

JTI reports robust performance fuelled by Ploom in the heated tobacco segment

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 2nd August 2024

Japan Tobacco International reports it delivered a robust performance in the first half of the year, continuing its investment to expand its presence in the heated tobacco segment, with Ploom now available in 21 markets...

KT&G and PMI to work together for US FDA approval on heated tobacco products

Written by Freddie Dawson | 31st July 2024

Philip Morris International (PMI) will help KT&G on its US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) for its Lil heated tobacco products ...

Southeast Asia regulatory round-up, July 2024

Written by Freddie Dawson | 26th July 2024

Expect a flurry of regulations on vaping and other alternative nicotine products in Southeast Asia over the second half of 2024. TobaccoIntelligence looks at regulatory developments in the region ...

BAT’s numbers buoyed up by modern oral segment, with significant growth in US

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 25th July 2024

British American Tobacco reported a drop in first-half revenue, offset by the continued growth of new categories. BAT expects new-category revenue to be weighted in the second half of 2024, driven by phased launches ...

PMI’s Zyn and Iqos see robust growth, despite supply issues and EU flavour ban

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 23rd July 2024

Philip Morris International recorded an outstanding second-quarter and first-half performance, with strong contributions from Iqos and Zyn – despite supply constraints and the EU flavour ban ...

Ditching smoking for ENDS products may improve oral health, Italian study finds

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 12th July 2024

Users of smoke-free nicotine products may enjoy better dental health than tobacco smokers, according to a study that found electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) to be associated with a lower accumulation of dental plaque ...

22nd Century set to fully launch VLN in South Korea after lessons learned in trial

Written by Freddie Dawson | 10th July 2024

US-based 22nd Century will move to a full roll out of its VLN brand very-low-nicotine cigarette products in the South Korean market, where it had previously launched a limited trial run ...

BAT’s Glo disappears from market in Malaysia, Philippines and South Africa

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 5th July 2024

The Glo heated tobacco device from British American Tobacco (BAT) appears to have been pulled from at least three international markets, where TobaccoIntelligence has noted that BAT no longer lists Glo as available ...

KT&G uses new fast-charging tech to revamp Lil Aible heated tobacco device

Written by Freddie Dawson | 2nd July 2024

KT&G has unveiled a new version of its Lil Aible heated tobacco device. The South Korean tobacco company highlighted the improved charging and pre-heating times of Lil Aible 2.0 ...

Sunak’s UK smoking ban on pause, not fast forward, but Labour may press ahead

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 29th May 2024

UK prime minister Rishi Sunak’s smoking ban bill is likely to be scrapped after it was not mentioned in the final business in the House of Commons following Sunak’s call for a snap general election...

Ploom X is the feather in JTI’s cap as reduced-risk products boost Q1 results

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 9th May 2024

Japan Tobacco International (JTI) delivered a robust performance in the first quarter of 2024, partly thanks to a double-digit increase in reduced-risk product revenue – driven mainly by the heated tobacco sticks segment ...

PMI’s smoke-free momentum continues to build in 2024, fuelled by Iqos and Zyn

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 24th April 2024

PMI continued reporting its smoke-free momentum in the first quarter of 2024, announcing 25% organic growth in net revenues and 38% in gross profit – with strong contributions from Iqos and Zyn ...

The evolution of novel tobacco and nicotine products over the last decade

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 5th April 2024

In this part of a series of articles celebrating the tenth anniversary of Tamarind Intelligence, we look at how heated tobacco, nicotine pouches and herbal heated sticks have evolved in the past decade ...

Oral products boosted Big Tobacco’s momentum in 2023, and HTPs still in play

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 27th February 2024

Nicotine pouches seemed to be the universal positive for Big Tobacco in 2023, with oral tobacco categories making increasingly important contributions to all the companies involved in that area ...

KT&G reports double-digit growth in sales of heated tobacco sticks for 2023

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 21st February 2024

South Korean tobacco company KT&G reported a positive performance in its next-generation product (NGP) business over the course of 2023, despite what it called “intensified competition” ...

Kazakhstan to introduce criminal liability for violation of the existing ban on snus

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 15th February 2024

Kazakhstan plans to introduce criminal liability to an existing ban on the import, production and distribution of snus. A vote by the Kazakh Senate still has to take place ...

Iqos may be losing share to rivals in the crucial Japanese heated tobacco market

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 15th February 2024

Market-leader Iqos, from Philip Morris International (PMI), lost market share last year in the huge Japanese heated tobacco sector to rivals British American Tobacco (BAT) and Japan Tobacco (JT), according to a local survey ...

Japan’s lack of support for HTPs at COP10 threatens harm reduction, says industry

Written by Freddie Dawson | 14th February 2024

Heated tobacco didn't receive any support from the Japanese government at COP10, and some stakeholders feared the entire premise of harm reduction and reduced-risk products could be under threat ...

Leaked document suggests New Zealand minister wants tax-free heated tobacco

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 12th February 2024

New Zealand’s new coalition government could be considering proposals to regulate tobacco products, as suggested by a document leaked to local press, including removing taxes from heated tobacco products ...

WHO reports drop in tobacco use despite industry ‘interference’ in achieving goals

Written by Freddie Dawson | 25th January 2024

Tobacco use continues to reduce globally, according to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000–2030 ...

Herbal sticks are growing in popularity, but regulators might change their future

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 10th January 2024

Herbal heated sticks are spreading worldwide as a replacement for conventional smoking as well as an alternative to heated tobacco products ...

What will the year ahead bring? Expected tobacco and nicotine regulation in 2024

Written by Freddie Dawson | 2nd January 2024

TobaccoIntelligence predicts a restrictive future for the regulation of tobacco alternative products but also growth in both the global nicotine pouch and heated tobacco markets from 2023 to 2024 ...

Spotlight on laws, bans and environment as tobacco alternatives trend up in 2023

Written by Freddie Dawson | 28th December 2023

Looking back, 2023 just might be viewed as the turning-point year in alternatives to cigarettes, but in which direction things turn remains to be seen ...

Demand for KT&G’s next-gen products contributes to record-high Q3 revenues

Written by Freddie Dawson | 22nd November 2023

KT&G reported record-high quarterly revenues for the third quarter of 2023, with a significant contribution from its next generation product (NGP) category, as part of its release on the quarter's financial results ...

Malaysia pushes for tobacco control law as it looks to lead ASEAN ahead of COP10

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 21st November 2023

Malaysia will press forward with its tobacco control plans in the hopes of providing a leadership role in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), ahead of what is hoped to be a rescheduled COP10...

Ploom X international expansion has helped to boost JTI’s Q3 performance

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 31st October 2023

Japan Tobacco International (JTI) enjoyed a solid performance in the third quarter of the year, partially related to its Ploom X heated tobacco product geographic expansion ...

PMI accelerates smoke-free growth in Q3, fuelled by Zyn nicotine pouch sales in US

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 20th October 2023

Strong sales momentum behind PMI’s Zyn nicotine pouches in the US helped drive the company’s growth in the third quarter, with US sales volume up nearly 66% on the same quarter in 2022 ...

Smoking rates down thanks to lower-risk nicotine products, UK-based study says

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 19th October 2023

Reduced-risk nicotine products are competing with combustibles and lowering smoking rates, rather than encouraging consumers towards them, according to a new international study ...

Potential for convergence of HT and vape technologies discussed at GTNF in Seoul

Written by Freddie Dawson | 13th October 2023

Future innovation in vaping and tobacco alternatives is likely to involve environmental improvements and prevention of youth usage, said speakers at the Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum ...

GTNF speakers say evidence should drive nicotine legislation, not public pressure

Written by Freddie Dawson | 12th October 2023

Public pressure can drive legislators to make populist decisions on nicotine product regulation that are not based on evidence, warned speakers at the recent Global Tobacco & Nicotine Forum (GTNF) in Seoul ...

Launch of PMI’s first non-tobacco stick raises regulatory questions

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 2nd October 2023

Philip Morris International (PMI) has launched a zero-tobacco stick called Levia for use with its heated tobacco device, Iqos. PMI is the first Big Tobacco to introduce these sticks, though others have marketed similar products...

Israel proposes tough measures and tax hikes to curb youth nicotine use

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 24th August 2023

The Israeli Ministry of Health has published plans for stricter measures that would apply to all smoking and tobacco products, in advance of a public consultation aimed at amending the Tobacco Law ...

KT&G’s next-generation products enjoy over 70% sales growth worldwide

Written by Freddie Dawson | 21st August 2023

KT&G anticipates that alternative nicotine products will continue to make up greater proportions of its sales, the company said during a presentation of its second-quarter results ...

22nd Century adjusts its 2023 revenue outlook after a rocky second quarter

Written by Freddie Dawson | 16th August 2023

22nd Century will focus on streamlining operating costs and making the marketing and sales push for its VLN cigarette products more cost efficient to address issues that have forced it to revise full-year profit guidance...

Japan Tobacco ready to put unexpected revenue boost back into heated tobacco

Written by Freddie Dawson | 3rd August 2023

Japan Tobacco (JT) is to ramp up investment in its production of heated tobacco sticks over the second half of 2023 after reporting better than expected results for the first six months of the year...

More improvement needed – WHO report gives the world 7/10 for tobacco control

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 2nd August 2023

Seven out of ten people worldwide – five times as many as in 2007 – are protected against tobacco-related health issues by sound regulatory policies, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) ...

‘Must do better’ – BAT boss gives Hyper 2 a less than Glo-ing half-term report

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 27th July 2023

British American Tobacco (BAT) has reported a continued positive performance of its vapour and modern oral segment but said it needs to do more work on its heated tobacco products ...

Iluma to the fore as PMI builds up a head of steam towards its smoke-free future

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 25th July 2023

Philip Morris International (PMI) reported strong momentum over the first half of the year, driven by Iqos growth and the good performance of Swedish Match, accelerating the company’s transition to a smokeless future ...

UK's Kingsway Capital seeks exit from stake in UAE's AIR as AIR looks to IPO

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 21st July 2023

Dubai-based tobacco company Advanced Inhalation Rituals is planning to go public next year and has invited banks to pitch for roles in its IPO, as parent company Kingsway Capital seeks to sell its stake ...

Big in Japan, unfashionable in France – how attitudes to heated tobacco vary

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 29th June 2023

Attitudes towards heated tobacco vary, even between neighbouring countries, with a range of social factors affecting market conditions – as shown by differences between France and Switzerland, Japan and South Korea ...

Bangladesh budget proposes spike in taxes to get harm down and revenue up

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 13th June 2023

The Bangladeshi government’s latest annual budget proposal lists a substantial rise in taxes on nicotine products, including heated tobacco devices and combustibles ...

Man on a mission to counter ‘nicotine illiteracy’ and aid smokers everywhere

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 19th May 2023

Taking nicotine out of a tobacco context and inspiring confidence in the role it can play in harm reduction is the goal of Sudhanshu Patwardhan, medical director at the UK Centre for Health Research and...

22nd Century banks on big plans for its VLN cigarettes in the US and beyond

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 12th May 2023

US company 22nd Century will look to expand its international interests by launching trials in Switzerland and Japan as well as relaunching its low-nicotine conventional cigarette product in South Korea ...

JTI plans further launches for Ploom X after UK, Italy and Lithuania successes

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 9th May 2023

Japan Tobacco International (JTI) enjoyed a solid performance in the first three months of the year, boosted by a successful launch of its Ploom X heat-not-burn (HnB) device in Italy and Lithuania ...

Big Tobacco ‘moving too slowly’ to fulfil the FSFW’s mission of ending smoking

Written by Freddie Dawson | 9th May 2023

Tobacco companies are not doing enough to transition to reduced risk products and are not phasing out conventional cigarettes quickly enough, according to the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World (FSFW) ...

PMI reports good numbers, positive momentum of Iqos and Zyn in the US

Written by Freddie Dawson | 28th April 2023

Philip Morris International will focus on heated tobacco and nicotine pouches as the alternatives that can help it meet its goal of becoming a majority smoke-free revenue company by 2025 ...

India’s $17bn smokeless tobacco industry may be hit with ban affecting oral tobacco

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 21st April 2023

A ban on the manufacture, storage and sale of flavoured smokeless tobacco products such as gutka and pan masala in the national capital territory of India has been upheld by the Delhi High Court ...

HnB weathers the rise in Japanese taxes as other forms of tobacco product are hit

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 20th April 2023

Heated tobacco has benefitted from an increase in excise duties on some tobacco products in Japan even though they meant a price rise for heat-not-burn (HnB) products too ...

Big Tobacco remains in love with novelty as it heads towards a smokeless future

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 3rd March 2023

The significance Big Tobacco companies are placing on novel tobacco products is demonstrated by the continued international expansion many are undertaking ...

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