IQOS Smoking Room at Manila International Airport

Eleftheria (Ria) Kioupritzi, a biopharmaceutical professional with more than 15 years of experience, has joined Philip Morris International as Director Scientific Affairs within Corporate Affairs. She previously served at Roche as Senior Scientific Communications Director for Neuroscience and Rare Diseases and worked extensively in spinal muscular atrophy. Her earlier career also covered competitive intelligence, clinical and regulatory monitoring, pipeline development and launch preparation. During her time working in Roche's SMA field, Evrysdi passed through several U.S. FDA milestones, including its initial approval, an expanded indication for younger infants and approval of a tablet formulation. Public records do not show that Kioupritzi herself led the FDA submissions.

The UK's Vaping Products Duty will take effect on October 1, 2026, at a flat rate of £2.20 per 10ml of vaping liquid. Ahead of implementation, DOJO, PIXL and Hayati have introduced or been reported to be adding lower-capacity tiers alongside larger products. DOJO has added a 6ml BLAST7K Fresh below its 10ml BLAST10K Fresh, PIXL offers both a 12ml 8000 and a 6ml 5K, while retailer Ninja Vapes says Hayati is preparing a 7ml 4K alongside its existing 12ml 6K. The pattern points to a growing lower-capacity tier in the UK market, although the brands have not all explicitly linked the changes to the new duty.

Ispire Technology reported FY2026 revenue of about $96 million, down 24.7% year over year, as U.S. cannabis-vapor hardware and European e-cigarette sales declined by $17.4 million and $12.7 million, respectively. Fourth-quarter revenue rose 32.5% to $26.7 million, while quarterly gross margin fell to 6.3%. For FY2027, the company is prioritizing Malaysia manufacturing and vapor ODM while continuing to develop nicotine pouches, IKE Tech age-verification technology and G-Mesh licensing. Ispire has not separately disclosed the revenue or profit contribution of those newer businesses.

Philip Morris International (PMI) is expanding the international footprint of BONDS by IQOS, its lower-priced heated tobacco platform. The company's third-quarter 2026 SEC filing shows that BONDS devices and BLENDS tobacco sticks were available in 15 markets at the end of September, up from eight at the end of June. In November, PMI announced plans to extend sales from three to 17 Japanese prefectures and introduced BONDS in Spain and Morocco. The platform uses ROUNDHEAT external heating technology and proprietary tobacco sticks, separate from the IQOS ILUMA system. In Japan, BONDS retails for ¥2,980, approximately 25% below ILUMA i ONE, while BLENDS costs ¥570 per pack. PMI management says BONDS targets cigarette smokers who have not adopted heated tobacco. Separate sales and revenue figures remain undisclosed.

British American Tobacco's Japanese subsidiary, BAT Japan, launched VELO Mango Ice Medium on November 2, 2026, with distribution expanding to selected 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, NewDays and Seicomart stores from November 3. The new oral tobacco product contains 15 pouches per can and retails for ¥380, featuring a mango and cooling flavor profile at Medium intensity. At the same time, BAT Japan raised prices on multiple existing VELO products from ¥360 to ¥380 per can and withdrew selected SKUs from convenience store distribution without discontinuing them entirely. The changes affect product assortment, pricing and retail channel allocation.

Philip Morris International (PMI) showcased IQOS heated tobacco systems and nicotine pouch products at Technovation 2026 in Buenos Aires on October 7–8, presenting research on consumer attitudes, regulatory developments and illicit cigarette trade across Latin America. PMI Chief Global Growth Officer Stefano Volpetti said smoke-free products accounted for more than 7% of the Mexico City market. Argentina repealed its heated tobacco ban in May 2026 and introduced registration requirements for tobacco and nicotine products, while local media reported nicotine pouch sales in Mendoza. A PMI-commissioned survey found that only 8% of respondents across four Latin American countries were familiar with nicotine pouches. A separate KPMG study estimated illicit cigarette consumption at 77 billion sticks across 11 markets in Latin America and Canada in 2025.