FLER at APE

KT&G said on April 15 that it will launch “Miix Cigar Collection,” a dedicated stick for its lil Hybrid heated tobacco product, at convenience stores nationwide in South Korea. The company said the product is the first in the Miix series to apply a “Balance Filter” with internal space in the filter and contains 18% cigar leaf to deliver cigar flavor. With the new launch, the Miix lineup for lil Hybrid will expand to 16 products.

mperial Brands’ HY26 results point to a more selective NGP transition. The company is using cash flow from traditional tobacco to fund targeted investments in modern oral nicotine, heated tobacco and reusable vaping systems. Its decision to exit the legacy myblu vaping business in the U.S., while expanding Zone nicotine pouches. In Europe, Imperial’s NGP growth is being driven by a multi-category portfolio including blu, Pulze and Zone/Skruf.

Delaware’s latest tobacco tax increase bill cleared its first House committee hurdle on April 22. Backed by House Speaker Melissa Minor-Brown, the bill would raise the cigarette tax from $2.10 to $3.60 per pack and increase taxes on moist snuff, vapor products and other tobacco products.

South Korean tobacco company KT&G is drawing growing global investor attention after reporting record overseas tobacco sales, with international institutions including Capital Group and BlackRock increasing their stakes.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently authorized two fruit-flavored vaping products from Glas, but a newly released agency memo shows the products did not demonstrate greater smoking-cessation benefits than tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes. The Associated Press said the findings are likely to raise further questions about the FDA’s regulatory rationale and standards for flavored vaping 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.