Nearly $8M in tobacco settlement funds to promote early childhood education in Ky.

According to Reuters, citing Bloomberg News, British tobacco company Imperial Brands PLC plans to cut thousands of jobs across the United States and Europe as part of a cost reduction and organizational restructuring effort. The announcement drew market attention to the company’s shares. The move comes as global tobacco companies continue adjusting their operations amid slower cigarette market growth, changing consumer preferences and the transition toward next-generation nicotine products.

Italy’s Lazio Regional Administrative Court has dismissed an appeal by Italian Tobacco Manufacturing and Manifattura Italiana Tabacco over the cigarette excise calculation mechanism, upholding the minimum tax burden rules and excluding compensation for smaller tobacco operators.

A new expert paper in JAMA urges U.S. clinicians to include nicotine e-cigarettes in smoking-cessation discussions, citing higher quit rates than nicotine replacement therapy. It also stresses that products must deliver enough nicotine to replace cigarettes, dual use should be brief, and complete switching is the goal. 2Firsts argues the recommendations matter beyond clinics: public-health professionals should reassess relative risk, regulators should preserve sufficient product appeal for adult smokers, and manufacturers should focus on helping users quit cigarettes more sustainably.

Nick Ricketts, President of Oral Products at Philip Morris International (PMI), told Logos Press that nicotine pouches should be brought under clear regulatory frameworks covering nicotine limits, flavor rules, age verification, sales controls and marketing standards, arguing that the absence of clear rules or blanket bans may push consumer demand into illegal or semi-legal channels.

Philip Morris International’s second-quarter net revenues rose 10.4% to a record $11.19 billion, as heated tobacco and e-vapor expanded across international markets. IQOS remained the main smoke-free growth engine, while VEEV shipments jumped 55.1%. In the United States, however, ZYN shipments increased just 1.8% and consumer offtake was broadly flat to slightly higher. Cigarette volumes also rose, showing that PMI’s transformation is advancing, but growth is becoming increasingly uneven across categories and markets.

Illegal vape sellers are still promoting nicotine products on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube despite Australia’s 2024 advertising ban, while illicit tobacco sales are increasingly moving from physical stores to online marketplaces.