IQOS Smoking Room at Manila International Airport

Industry Insight by Ellesmere Zhu

Oct.31.2022

“Heated Tobacco only” as the IQOS brand may imply, guests in the room were all smoking traditional cigarettes.

Article by Ellesmere Zhu | photo by David Yu

2FIRSTS correspondent notices that in the international departure of Manila International Airport lies a smoking room labeled IQOS, an HTP brand of PMI.

IQOS Smoking Room at Manila International Airport

The room was not crowded but always occupied as people went in and out. “HTP only” as the IQOS brand may imply, guests in the room were all smoking traditional cigarettes.

IQOS Smoking Room at Manila International Airport

IQOS Smoking Room at Manila International Airport

#Africa #Egypt #Regulation

*This article is an original article of 2FIRSTS Technology Co., Ltd. The copyright and license rights belong to the company. Any entity or individual shall make link and credit 2FIRSTS when taking actions to copy, reprint or distribute the original article. The company retains the right to pursue its legal responsibility.

China Tobacco Regulation Shift：Policy Updates and Market Impact

China Tobacco Regulation Shift：Policy Updates and Market Impact

Product | JT to Launch MEVIUS Tropical Option in Japan, Expanding Ploom Tobacco Stick Lineup to 32

Product | JT to Launch MEVIUS Tropical Option in Japan, Expanding Ploom Tobacco Stick Lineup to 32

Japan Tobacco (JT) will launch MEVIUS Tropical Option, a new tobacco stick for Ploom, nationwide in Japan from October 6, 2026. The capsule-format product combines mango-oriented sweetness with menthol cooling, adding a tropical flavor to the MEVIUS Ploom tobacco-stick lineup for the first time. Each pack contains 20 sticks and will launch at JPY 590. The product is compatible with all Ploom devices, and its addition will expand the Ploom tobacco-stick portfolio to 32 variants.

Reynolds Seeks to Join Altria Lawsuit Challenging FDA PMTA Rule and Calculation of 180-Day Deadline

Reynolds Seeks to Join Altria Lawsuit Challenging FDA PMTA Rule and Calculation of 180-Day Deadline

Three R.J. Reynolds companies are seeking to intervene in a lawsuit filed by Altria subsidiaries Helix Innovations and NJOY challenging the FDA's 2021 PMTA final rule. The companies dispute how the agency uses Acceptance and Filing reviews and completeness determinations to establish when the Tobacco Control Act's 180-day decision period begins. Reynolds has also linked prolonged PMTA reviews to competition from unauthorized vaping products. The FDA, meanwhile, has been accelerating reviews and reducing its backlog.

Ireland Raises Nicotine Product Taxes Again as Cigarettes Gain €1 and Vape Duty Is Set to Jump 40%

Ireland Raises Nicotine Product Taxes Again as Cigarettes Gain €1 and Vape Duty Is Set to Jump 40%

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.

EU Tobacco Tax Reform Targets November Push as Sweden Holds Nicotine-Pouch Minimum at €20 per Kilogram

EU Tobacco Tax Reform Targets November Push as Sweden Holds Nicotine-Pouch Minimum at €20 per Kilogram

The Irish presidency of the Council of the European Union is using bilateral talks to push the bloc’s Tobacco Taxation Directive toward a political agreement in November. According to Law360, citing an EU official, Sweden is unwilling to accept a minimum excise threshold above €20 per kilogram for nicotine pouches. Council negotiations have already lowered the European Commission’s original proposal, but a May 2026 presidency compromise still set the minimum at 10% of the tax-inclusive retail price or €30 per kilogram in 2028-29, with higher levels later.

Sep.17 by 2Firsts Perspectives

Imperial Brands Acquires Helwit Owner Yoik Group for SEK 515 Million, More Than Doubling Swedish Nicotine Pouch Share

Imperial Brands Acquires Helwit Owner Yoik Group for SEK 515 Million, More Than Doubling Swedish Nicotine Pouch Share

Imperial Brands has agreed to acquire 100% of Swedish modern oral nicotine company Yoik Group AB for an initial SEK515 million, equivalent to about US$53.9 million, plus a deferred payment linked to performance over the next two years. Yoik owns nicotine pouch brand Helwit, which held about 3.4% of Sweden’s modern oral nicotine market over the past 12 months. Imperial says the acquisition will more than double its existing share of the Swedish market. Helwit is also sold elsewhere in the Nordics, through European online channels and in selected UK retail outlets.

Wall Street Journal: U.S. FDA Plans Faster Vape and Nicotine Pouch Reviews, Revisit of 2021 PMTA Rule

Wall Street Journal: U.S. FDA Plans Faster Vape and Nicotine Pouch Reviews, Revisit of 2021 PMTA Rule

The Trump administration is preparing changes intended to accelerate FDA market authorization reviews for e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, according to The Wall Street Journal. The FDA is expected to revisit its 2021 PMTA rule and may simplify some scientific study requirements and shorten review times. The agency has not formally announced the changes. Over the past year, the FDA has already accelerated nicotine-pouch reviews, expanded ENDS authorizations and upgraded its CTP Portal NextGen application system. As of August 2026, 43 nicotine pouch products and 48 e-cigarette products had received FDA marketing authorization.

Related Topics

Related Read

Product | JT to Launch MEVIUS Tropical Option in Japan, Expanding Ploom Tobacco Stick Lineup to 32

Product | JT to Launch MEVIUS Tropical Option in Japan, Expanding Ploom Tobacco Stick Lineup to 32

Reynolds Seeks to Join Altria Lawsuit Challenging FDA PMTA Rule and Calculation of 180-Day Deadline

Reynolds Seeks to Join Altria Lawsuit Challenging FDA PMTA Rule and Calculation of 180-Day Deadline

Ireland Raises Nicotine Product Taxes Again as Cigarettes Gain €1 and Vape Duty Is Set to Jump 40%

Ireland Raises Nicotine Product Taxes Again as Cigarettes Gain €1 and Vape Duty Is Set to Jump 40%

EU Tobacco Tax Reform Targets November Push as Sweden Holds Nicotine-Pouch Minimum at €20 per Kilogram

EU Tobacco Tax Reform Targets November Push as Sweden Holds Nicotine-Pouch Minimum at €20 per Kilogram

2Firsts Perspectives

Imperial Brands Acquires Helwit Owner Yoik Group for SEK 515 Million, More Than Doubling Swedish Nicotine Pouch Share

Imperial Brands Acquires Helwit Owner Yoik Group for SEK 515 Million, More Than Doubling Swedish Nicotine Pouch Share

Wall Street Journal: U.S. FDA Plans Faster Vape and Nicotine Pouch Reviews, Revisit of 2021 PMTA Rule

Wall Street Journal: U.S. FDA Plans Faster Vape and Nicotine Pouch Reviews, Revisit of 2021 PMTA Rule