Indiana vape tax to go into effect July 1

Sweden's Public Health Agency has found ingredient labels on ZYN nicotine pouches sold by Philip Morris International subsidiary Swedish Match to be noncompliant, according to Dagens industri. The products' packaging listed 10 to 13 ingredients, compared with 11 to 42 in regulatory submissions, with multiple flavoring ingredients grouped under the generic term "aromer." The agency ordered corrective action, warning of a conditional penalty of SEK 2 million per month for noncompliance. The order applies only to products manufactured after the decision becomes legally effective and does not require recalls. Swedish Match disputes the agency's interpretation and plans to appeal.

At the 2026 New Approaches Summit in New York, former FDA Center for Tobacco Products Director Mitch Zeller called for the tobacco harm reduction debate to shift from the traditional “end game” toward defining a desired “end state.” He also highlighted unresolved concerns around dual use, argued that biomarkers of exposure may be more meaningful than cigarettes-per-day in assessing risk reduction, and said nicotine misperceptions remain a major barrier to public health progress.

HG Innovation Limited has been granted a Chinese invention patent covering 6-methylnicotine salt formulations and their use in oral and vaping products. The technology forms salts between 6-methylnicotine and alicyclic carboxylic acids, with granted claims extending to oral products, atomization substrates and electronic atomization devices. Applicant-generated tests reported differences in oxidation stability, in-vitro cytotoxicity and aerosol heavy-metal performance compared with selected benzoate or lactate controls. HG Innovation is directly linked to the broader IMiracle and ELFBAR business network.

Ahead of the 2026 NACS Show, 2Firsts interviewed Chris Rapanick, NACS managing director of research, on changes reshaping the U.S. convenience-store tobacco and nicotine market. NACS data show cigarette sales declining while smokeless alternatives, including nicotine pouches, continue to grow. The interview also examines higher OTP margins, shifting backbar space, weaker store traffic, regulatory uncertainty and NACS’ outlook for 2027, offering a retailer-side view of one of the world’s largest nicotine markets.

Less than a week after JUUL2 received U.S. FDA marketing authorization on August 28, 2026, JUUL Labs was sued for patent infringement in federal court in Delaware. AJ Marketing LLC filed the complaint on September 3, alleging that both JUUL 1 and JUUL2 infringe U.S. Patent No. 8,851,068 B2. The patent covers aspects of programmable electronic vaporization devices, including controls over dose delivery, usage frequency and operating parameters. The plaintiff is seeking reasonable royalties and ongoing royalties tied to the remaining life of the patent. JUUL has not yet publicly responded to the case.

Ireland has increased tobacco excise under Budget 2027 and announced a further rise in its E-liquid Products Tax. From Oct. 7, the tax burden on a pack of 20 cigarettes in the most popular price category increased by €1, with pro-rata increases on other tobacco products. The government plans to raise EPT from €0.50 to €0.70 per millilitre from Jan. 1, 2027, a 40% increase applying to both nicotine-containing and nicotine-free e-liquids. The tobacco duty increase is expected to raise about €63.1 million in a full year.