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.

British American Tobacco Bangladesh reported a 14% year-on-year decline in cigarette sales volume and a 34% drop in first-quarter profit, highlighting mounting pressure from inflation, taxation, and weakening consumer spending in Bangladesh.

Haypp Group reported a 40% year-on-year increase in nicotine pouch volumes in the first quarter of 2026, with U.S. and U.K. volumes rising 123% and 102%, respectively. Haypp says around 97% of its consumer traffic is organic and that its Media & Insights business provides brand owners with on-site visibility, trial activation and consumer intelligence. For international tobacco companies, Haypp may be both a growth partner for modern oral products and a new source of channel leverage.

According to Bloomberg, Philip Morris International’s Zyn is facing growing competition in the U.S. nicotine pouch market as consumers shift toward moister alternatives such as British American Tobacco’s Velo Plus.

According to The New York Times, Reynolds American donated $5 million to a Trump-backed super PAC shortly before the FDA introduced a new policy that could benefit major tobacco companies seeking to sell flavored vaping products.