Vapouround magazine Vapouround Magazine Issue 26 | Page 38

N F E R NEWS H FDA FIRST Swedish Match can promote snus smokeless tobacco as less harmful than cigarettes Words: Patrick Griffin I “The FDA is essentially endorsing the product as a less harmful alternative to cigarettes, while also giving the consumer comfort the product meets strict standards.” 32 VM26 n a US fi rst, The Food and Drug Administration has approved a tobacco product to be marketed as less harmful than smoking cigarettes. It has authorised Swedish Match to say that eight of its General snus smokeless tobacco products “puts you at a lower risk of mouth cancer, heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis” than smoking. Snus is a type of smokeless tobacco, typically sold inside a pouch, which is placed under the lip. This is the fi rst time the FDA has approved a modifi ed-risk tobacco product application and now the wider vaping industry hopes it will pave the way for more products to follow suit. Analyst Owen Bennett welcomed the move as “positive for the industry” adding: “It is essentially the FDA endorsing the product as a less harmful alternative to cigarettes, while also giving the consumer comfort the product meets strict standards. “Such endorsement could prove very valuable in the current environment where there is an increasing consumer demand for less harmful products, while at the same time there are many fears around the safety of vaping.” Companies seeking to market their products as less harmful than cigarettes must go through a time-consuming process where the FDA scrutinizes the scientifi c evidence and evaluates the company’s claims before ultimately making its decision. Acting FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless said: “While we are authorising these specifi c modifi ed risk tobacco products, it’s important for the public to understand that all tobacco products — including these — pose risk. Anyone who does not currently use tobacco products, especially youth, should refrain from doing so.” The UK’s Action on Smoking and Health has said that snus is “over 100 times less harmful” than smoking, however it is currently banned here under EU law. At October’s Vaper Expo in Birmingham, to provide UK smokers with a legal alternative to snus, Swedish Match, launched its tobacco-free ZYN nicotine pouches to the UK market. The company says ZYN offers a legal alternative to snus and says it could particularly appeal to vapers who could use the pouches in situations where they cannot normally use their e-cigarettes, such as on public transport or at the offi ce. Swedish Match is independent of the big tobacco companies.