FLER at APE

The Philippine Department of Health said it is pushing for a total ban on vape products. If a full ban is not feasible, DOH officer-in-charge Director Dr. Dominic Maddumba said vape products should at least be limited to plain tobacco flavors to reduce their appeal to minors.

The UK government announced on April 29 that the Tobacco and Vapes Bill had received Royal Assent and become law. Under the new law, it is illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2009. The government said the law creates the UK’s first “smoke-free generation” and includes measures to ban the advertising and sponsorship of vapes and nicotine products, as well as powers to restrict packaging, branding and displays designed to appeal to children.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit heard oral arguments on Tuesday in a case brought by seven small vape-liquid companies challenging the Food and Drug Administration’s denial of marketing authorization for their flavored electronic nicotine products.

The Tasmanian House of Assembly has passed a new bill aimed at cracking down on the sale of smoking products to children and curbing the illicit tobacco trade. Under the Public Health Amendment (Prohibited Tobacco and Other Products) Bill 2026, businesses caught selling tobacco products to minors would face steeper, tiered fines.

British American Tobacco Bangladesh reported a 14% year-on-year decline in cigarette sales volume and a 34% drop in first-quarter profit, highlighting mounting pressure from inflation, taxation, and weakening consumer spending in Bangladesh.

2Firsts noted that ASDF has displayed Chroma on its official website. Public information shows that Chroma is a closed-pod device equipped with an 800mAh battery, switchable RGB lights, haptic feedback and Normal/Boost power modes. It uses a 2ml OSTRO cartridge with 2% nicotine strength. Public information also shows that ASDF has a Malaysian brand background and has previously drawn industry attention for the “retro cassette” visual language used in its Vapetape series.