Market & legal data of the tobacco alternatives sector in Asia

Kyrgyzstan brings HnB under national ban on tobacco use in public places

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 12th October 2021

The use of tobacco products – including heat-not-burn (HnB) devices – in public places becomes illegal in Kyrgyzstan tomorrow, 13th October, after the country’s president signed a new law ...

PMI launches Iqos Iluma in Japan, with new induction-heating technology

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 17th August 2021

Philip Morris International (PMI) has launched Iqos Iluma in Japan today as part of the company’s plan to achieve a smoke-free future ...

Localities and regions take a harsher approach towards HnB in Taiwan

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 16th August 2021

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 ...

JT sees positive numbers amid 'momentum' of its HnB portfolio

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 30th July 2021

JTI posted positive numbers in the first half of the year, with good performance from its reduced-risk products and improvement in its full-year guidance after the launch of Ploom X ...

PMI raises its sights for 2021 as Europe leads the rush towards heated tobacco

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 20th July 2021

Philip Morris International (PMI)’s net revenues were up by 10% in the first half of 2021, with smoke-free products accounting for 28.5% of the total ...

Japanese health ministry denies plan to widen access to tobacco-free pouches

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 14th July 2021

Regulations governing nicotine pouches in Japan are unlikely to change in the near future despite rumours to the contrary ...

The Japanese innovation that could help normalise heated tobacco everywhere

Written by Barnaby Page | 1st July 2021

A new development in Japan sets an example which proponents of harm reduction could do well to advocate elsewhere – the increasing trend toward heated-tobacco-only areas in public spaces ...

From the ski slopes to the karaoke bar, Japan goes smoke-free with HnB

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 28th June 2021

A growing number of leisure facilities in Japan are going smoke-free by allowing only heated tobacco products to be used, or establishing dedicated areas for them, in response to stricter rules on indoor smoking ...

Did Philippines FDA break the law hiring tobacco staff with Bloomberg cash?

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 23rd June 2021

The Philippines Food and Drug Administration is under public scrutiny after being accused of acting unlawfully in accepting foreign donations from a non-government organisation funded by the anti-tobacco Bloomberg Initiative ...

Pakistan proposes its first ever tax on imported heated tobacco products

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 22nd June 2021

Pakistan has included a proposal to tax heated tobacco products in its annual national budget for the first time. It comes after several calls to take a harsher approach towards tobacco products generally ...

Pakistan: prime minister’s withdrawal from webinar reveals tensions over tobacco products

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 13th May 2021

Pakistan’s prime minister Imran Khan cancelled a few days ago the country’s attendance at an event sponsored by Philip Morris Japan, after health advocates protested violation of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco...

Jordan rolls out licences for businesses to deal in legalised tobacco alternatives

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 4th May 2021

At least 184 establishments have been licensed to trade in heated tobacco and other tobacco alternatives in Jordan since they were legalised in 2019 ...

Smoke-free now 28% of PMI revenue, boosted by European take-up of Iqos

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 20th April 2021

Philip Morris International (PMI)’s earnings were up slightly in the first quarter of 2021, boosted by a 38% increase in heated tobacco unit volume in Europe ...

Emirates tax officials seize non-compliant heated tobacco

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 14th April 2021

The introduction of digital tax stamps for heated tobacco products in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since January 2021 is already resulting in the authorities taking action against non-compliant products ...

Cambodia 'combats drugs' with a blanket ban on heated tobacco products

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 8th April 2021

Health authorities in Cambodia have decided to ban heated tobacco amid concerns that it causes serious health problems and promotes drug use ...

Imperial expresses new optimism on upcoming heated tobacco market trials

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 30th March 2021

Imperial Brands has announced that it expects to deliver its yearly objectives for 2021 and expressed optimism about the performance of its heated tobacco device Pulze ...

Indian state of Jharkhand invokes plague law to restrict tobacco sales and use

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 29th March 2021

The eastern Indian state of Jharkhand has clamped down on tobacco usage, introducing a new set of measures including a ban on the sale and purchase of tobacco products in public places ...

China’s popular WeChat platform kills off 'cool' smoking soldier emoji

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 10th March 2021

China’s popular social media and messaging app WeChat has taken down an emoji featuring a smoking soldier after a Beijing-based anti-smoking organisation campaigned for its removal ...

JT looks to new heat-not-burn device to counter falling overall tobacco sales

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 9th February 2021

Japan Tobacco is set to launch a new heated tobacco device by the second half of the year, despite falling revenues in its home market, in a bid to strengthen its reduced-risk portfolio ...

Hong Kong legislators raise doubts over government plans to ban heated tobacco

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 20th January 2021

Lawmakers in Hong Kong who met to discuss the government’s long-delayed proposal to ban heated tobacco products remained divided on the issue ...

Filipino government issues packaging restrictions amid FDA cash scandal

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 28th December 2020

A joint memorandum from several government agencies laying down rules for tobacco-alternative products in the Philippines establishes new restrictions on flavours and changes to labelling requirements ...

Legal eagles' report calls for reform and enforcement of India's tobacco controls

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 17th December 2020

A report by the National Law School of India University calls for wide-ranging reforms of the country’s Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, including raising the legal age to buy tobacco from 18 to 21...

Future of HnB remains unclear as Taiwan debates possible e-cigarette ban

Written by Tao Hong | 26th November 2020

A proposed amendment to Taiwan’s Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act could ban e-cigarettes but leave the way open for a large heated tobacco market to develop ...

Indonesia prepares new national standard for tobacco alternatives

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 19th October 2020

Indonesia’s Ministry of Industry is working towards a new national standard for e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, which it beleives will benefit the tobacco-alternatives industry ...

UAE launches app to crack down on non-compliant tobacco products

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 18th September 2020

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has created a phone app to help consumers detect non-compliant tobacco products in a bid from Emirati authorities to counter tax evasion and commercial fraud as well as to protect...

PMI opens IQOS stores to an uncertain regulatory future in the Philippines

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 8th September 2020

While the Philippines debates regulations to restrict tobacco alternatives, PMFTC, the Philippine affiliate of Philip Morris International (PMI), has opened its first four IQOS stores in the Manila area ...

Taiwan leaves the door open to include HnB in its Tobacco Hazards Act

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 31st August 2020

A revised draft amendment to Taiwan’s Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act could include regulations for heated tobacco products, TobaccoIntelligence has learned ...

PMI starts roll-out of KT&G heated tobacco products in Russia

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 19th August 2020

KT&G heated tobacco products are available outside South Korea for the first time after Philip Morris International (PMI) began marketing them in Russia ...

Heated tobacco sales slump in South Korea in wake of government campaign

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 12th August 2020

Sales of heated tobacco in South Korea declined in the first half of 2020, with the government attributing the lower sales to ongoing policy efforts to discourage use of tobacco-alternative products ...

JTI prepares to increase prices of HnB consumables as company revenues drop

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 10th August 2020

Japan Tobacco International (JTI) is to increase the price of some of its heated tobacco consumables in Japan from 1st October ...

Philippines proposes new restrictions for HnB online retailers

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 3rd August 2020

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the Philippines proposed new restrictions for vaping and heated tobacco products in the revised draft guidelines regulating their manufacture, importation, sale, packaging, advertising, and distribution ...

Japan hits Philip Morris with record $5.1m fine for misleading Iqos ads

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 7th July 2020

The Japanese Consumer Affairs Agency has imposed a fine of JPY552m ($5.1m) on Philip Morris Japan (PMJ) for misleading advertising of Iqos when discounts were extended beyond the allotted date ...

South Korea prepares to crack down on tobacco alternatives advertising

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 2nd July 2020

South Korea’s health minister Park Neung-hoo has announced a fresh plan to ban advertising and promotional activities for tobacco-alternative products ...

Hong Kong will consider tobacco alternatives ban after September

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 29th June 2020

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

Philippines FDA lookening to tighten the screw on alternative products

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 18th June 2020

The Philippines Food and Drug Administration (FDA) appears to be tightening its grip on tobacco alternatives with a detailed proposal to regulate heat-not-burn (HnB) and vapour products ...

BAT predicts 7% shrinkage of HnB, pushes back next-gen revenue goal

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 10th June 2020

British American Tobacco (BAT) is pushing back to 2025 its goal of £5bn in revenues from its next-generation portfolio amid the COVID-19 pandemic and a decrease in heat-not-burn (HnB) business ...

Proposed regulation in Taiwan leaves room for interpretation over HnB

Written by Marija Obradovic | 8th June 2020

The Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare has released a draft proposal amending the country’s Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act which leaves the regulation of heated tobacco still in a state of uncertainty ...

Price war in Japan as JT battles against IQOS dominance of the HnB market

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 3rd June 2020

Japan Tobacco (JT) and Philip Morris International (PMI) are cutting the prices of their heat-not-burn (HnB) devices in Japan and planning new product launches amid the coronavirus pandemic ...

Indian state of Uttar Pradesh partially lifts ban on nicotine-free pan masala

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 26th May 2020

India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, has partially lifted its ban on the oral product pan masala following industry pressure and due to the state government’s need for cash ...

Altria expects a hit from COVID-19, BAT set for heated tobacco decline

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 30th April 2020

Big Tobacco manufacturers are expecting the effects of COVID-19 to hit hard in the second half of the year, despite a strong performance in the first quarter ...

Indonesian president urged to clamp down on tobacco to fight coronavirus

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 27th April 2020

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

India’s most populous state bans oral tobacco mix amid coronavirus fear

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 26th March 2020

The Food Safety and Drug Administration in Uttar Pradesh, India’s largest state by population, has temporarily banned pan masala, a traditional oral product popular throughout India, to try to stem the spread of COVID-19 ...

Nicotine events still on the calendar while others fall victim to COVID-19

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 16th March 2020

Organisers of two major conferences and exhibitions on nicotine delivery are hoping the events can still go ahead despite the global coronavirus outbreak and a number of other event cancellations and postponements ...

Duterte hands down new regulations on heated tobacco in the Philippines

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 13th March 2020

Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte has issued an executive order placing a range of restrictions on heated tobacco and “other novel tobacco products” ...

BAT reports 273% revenue increase in a year for its modern oral portfolio

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 28th February 2020

British American Tobacco (BAT)'s "modern oral" portfolio has been one of the main drivers helping the company achieve good results in 2019 for its next-generation products category, which overall increased globally by 36.9% ...

PMI is cleared of misleading investors over Japanese prospects for Iqos

Written by Barnaby Page | 17th February 2020

Philip Morris International (PMI) did not deliberately mislead investors about clinical trials for its Iqos heated tobacco system or about the product’s prospects in Japan, a US federal court has ruled ...

South Korea plans further restrictions on promotion of tobacco alternatives

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 4th February 2020

The South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare wants to ban practices such as the offering of discounts for 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 TobaccoIntelligence | 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 ...

BAT launches new HnB in Korea amid government crackdown

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 29th November 2019

British American Tobacco (BAT) has launched its “most advanced” heated tobacco product in South Korea – during a critical political period in which the government has taken a harsh stance towards HnB products ...

JTI lowers its 2019 forecast as Japanese Ploom Tech sales fall

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 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...

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