On November 18, 2022, Jason, the International PR Manager for 2FIRSTS, a global professional e-cigarette industry media, held a discussion with Craig Copland, the Electronic Cigarette Group Leader of the Medical and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Market Access Department in the UK, regarding the issues surrounding the entry of Chinese e-cigarette products into the UK market after the implementation of the new national standard.
The potential advantages of electronic cigarettes.
The electronic cigarette division led by Copland falls under MHRA's "healthcare, quality and access group," while heated tobacco products and traditional tobacco products are overseen by Public Health England (PHE). Copland explains that this means electronic cigarettes have a greater advantage than other tobacco products. For example, electronic cigarette products can be advertised as "nicotine replacement products" or "smoking cessation products"; when doctors prescribe for smokers, they can also write electronic cigarette products, but the threshold for obtaining such medical electronic cigarette products is extremely high. "One of the major tasks of the UK National Health Service (NHS) is to help smokers quit smoking, and electronic cigarettes are one of the tools to quit smoking," says Copland.
Compliance for overseas expansion requires joint efforts from both parties.
Copland stated that his department focuses mainly on obtaining market access certificates for electronic cigarette products, regulating electronic cigarette products, and providing publicly available compliance data on its official website for manufacturers to reference. He also pointed out that Chinese products currently face compliance issues in the UK market, with 25% of Chinese products entering the UK market not complying with regulations, especially for those popular products.
Jason explained that one of the hottest-selling products in the UK, Elux, is often counterfeit. The counterfeiting of Elux-registered trademarks is a typical case, but with the implementation of the new national standard policy and the stricter regulations on e-cigarettes in China, similar situations will no longer occur.
Copland suggests that relevant departments from China and the UK should collaborate on the admission of electronic cigarettes. This is because the UK's border inspection departments often cannot determine whether imported electronic cigarettes are compliant and legal, and they require certification from the MHRA. Even if illegal products are identified, the MHRA cannot determine their source. Therefore, if the MHRA can align its inspection standards with Chinese regulatory agencies and screen out non-compliant products before takeoff, it would be highly efficient for them to enter the UK market. Copland says that the MHRA is willing to provide relevant information to Chinese departments to assist Chinese companies in compliance and growth.
Finally, Copland expressed a sincere hope to engage in extensive cooperation with Chinese counterparts and acknowledged the role of 2FIRSTS as a bridge for data and information exchange between the two parties.
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