Image: natatravel The Philippines’s Department of Health (DOH) is urging businesses, distributors and importers to start printing graphic health warnings (GHW) on vaporized products, reports Tribune. The first set of GHW templates for vape products is set to take effect on May 12. Under Republic Act No. 11900, also known as the Vape Law, Operators who fail to comply with the new rules risk fines of between PHP2 million and PHP5 million and imprisonment of up to six years. Manufacturers, importers, distributors and sellers may also face revocation or cancellation of permits and licenses as we ..read more

Photo: Semi GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound, suppress not only appetite but also nicotine cravings, reports Quartz, citing a new report from Morgan Stanley. The investment bank asked 300 GLP-1 users about their consumption habits while taking the medication. While 40 percent of survey respondents said they smoked cigarettes at least weekly before starting a GLP-1 treatment, that number fell to 24 percent after they started the treatment. Meanwhile, weekly e-cigarette usage dropped from 30 percent of respondents to 16 percent after they started taking a GLP-1. An ..read more

John Dunne (Photo: UKVIA) John Dunne, director general of the U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA), traveled to China to educate vape companies on Britain’s changing regulatory landscape. The U.K. will ban disposable e-cigarettes from April next year, and the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which is currently working its way through Parliament, seeks to give ministers unprecedented powers to ban flavors and decide how vapes are packaged and sold. Speaking at the headquarters of the Electronic Cigarette Industry Committee of the China Electronics Chamber of Commerce (ECCC), Dunne shared his exper ..read more

Photo: Maurice Norbert Altria Group reported net revenues of $5.58 billion for the first quarter of 2024, down 2.5 percent from the comparable 2023 period. Revenues net of excise taxes declined 1 percent to $4.72 billion. The company reaffirmed its 2024 full-year adjusted diluted earnings-per-share guidance range of $5.05 to $5.17. Altria attributed the income declines to lower net revenues in the smokeable products segment, partially offset by higher net revenues in the oral tobacco products segment and the “all other” category. Marlboro’s retail share of the total cigarette category was 42 ..read more

Mora Gilchrist (Photo: PMI) Philip Morris International has accused the U.K. Department of Health of spreading misinformation about heated-tobacco products after a social media post warning that “all forms of tobacco are harmful,” reports The Grocer. A tweet posted by the department in a thread of “myths” about vaping and tobacco contained false and misleading statements and risks driving consumers back to cigarettes or dissuading current smokers from making the switch to alternatives, according to the multinational. “What hope do adult smokers have when seeking out accurate information on s ..read more

Photo: Ian O'Hanlon A former KT&G Corp researcher has filed a lawsuit against his former employer claiming that he was insufficiently compensated for inventing “the world’s first e-cigarette” while working at the firm, reports the Yonhap News Agency. Kwak Dae-geun demands KRW2.8 trillion ($2 billion), reportedly the highest amount ever claimed by an individual in a South Korean legal action According to the suit, Kwak joined the Korea Ginseng and Tobacco Research Institute in 1991 and began developing a tobacco-heating product in 2005.  In July that year, he registered his first pat ..read more

Photo: kittyfly Even in its watered-down version, the recently approved EU supply chain law will impact tobacco companies. By Stefanie Rossel Good things come to those who wait, but sometimes they come only as a compromise. On March 15, the European Council finally approved the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), which was scheduled to be adopted by the European Parliament on April 24, thereby passing it into EU law. Commonly referred to as the EU Supply Chain Law, this directive, which was first proposed in February 2022, is meant to establish a common baseline acros ..read more

Photo: Taco Tuinstra Net profit of Sampoerna grew 28 percent to IDR8.1 trillion ($501.11 million) in 2023. With shipments of 83.4 billion cigarettes, the company remained the undisputed leader in Indonesia, claiming a market share of 28.6 percent. “2023 marked a year of return to robust profitable growth, with Sampoerna reaching significant milestones for advancing scientifically substantiated smoke-free products, increasing its investment and employment in Indonesia, and generating strong multiplier effects, in line with the country’s priority to enhance down-streaming.” said Sampoerna Pres ..read more

Photo: yavdat Consumer representatives proponents are urging European policymakers to adopt science-based tobacco harm reduction strategies as EU health ministers gather in Brussels for a two-day meeting to discuss Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, among other topics. The Beating Cancer Plan presents several legislative initiatives to address cancer risk factors, including measures to reduce tobacco and alcohol consumption and improve healthy diets. “This meeting should mark the beginning of driving the EU towards a smoke-free future,” said Michael Landl, director of the World Vapers Alliance, i ..read more

Photo: Alessandro Biascioli Frequent social media use is linked to an increased risk of youth using any tobacco product—including e-cigarettes—for the first time after one year, according to a new study led by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) researchers. Published in Addictive Behaviors, the study found that youth with no prior tobacco use who used social media daily were 67 percent more likely to begin smoking after one year, compared to youth who used these platforms less frequently. The results also showed that youth who actively engaged with tobacco marketing by liking ..read more