FLER at APE

Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said an amendment that would give Russian regions the power to ban vape sales is planned for adoption in May. Volodin said the decision concerns the health of citizens, especially children. He also said doctors have recorded a 30% increase in patients with respiratory diseases caused or aggravated by vape use, with adolescents and people under 35 most often affected.

Summary Ispire Technology announced a strategic joint venture with Chinese pharmaceutical company Jincheng Pharma to manufacture and commercialize nicotine pouch products. The partnership combines pharmaceutical-grade production capabilities with Ispire’s global regulatory infrastructure and distribution network as the company expands beyond vaping hardware into oral nicotine products.

Philip Morris Japan announced on April 23 at a product briefing that ZYN by IQOS, an oral tobacco pouch previously launched in selected areas, will expand sales in Tokyo. The company said the product will be released progressively from May 11 through IQOS shops, Lawson and other outlets in the city. The launch will include four flavors, each offered in Low and Medium intensity levels, for a total of eight products.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration renewed modified risk granted orders for five IQOS products from Philip Morris Products S.A., including two IQOS system holders and chargers and three HeatSticks products. Under the renewed orders, the products may continue to be marketed with an exposure modification claim.

2Firsts has noted that Geek Bar has added BURJ to its official product portfolio under the E-HOOKAH category. Public information shows that BURJ 80K is a hookah-style disposable vape featuring a 25ml e-liquid capacity, a 1500mAh battery, 0.4Ω dual coils and three operating modes: ECO, Regular and Pulse. According to publicly available product information, the device is rated for up to 80,000 puffs in ECO mode and uses a nicotine strength of 0.5% (5mg/ml).

According to the latest CAN report and multiple media reports, Sweden’s daily smoking rate fell to 4.8% in 2025, below the commonly used 5% smoke-free threshold, making it the first EU country to reach that benchmark.