Taiwan to Announce First Approval of Heated Tobacco Products

Key points:

1. China's Taiwan for the first time has made a resolution on the approval of heated tobacco products, with the results of one manufacturer's application set to be announced as early as next month.

2. The Health Promotion Department stated that document reviews and product testing are key processes for evaluation.

3. The anti-smoking alliance strongly criticizes the new law.

Two years after the implementation of the "Amendments to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act," Taiwan is set to announce its first decision on whether to approve the sale of heated tobacco products, TaipeiTimes reported on March 8.

Wu Chao-chun, Director of the Health Promotion Agency (HPA), said that the amended Tobacco Act provides a case-by-case approval process for the legalization of heated tobacco products. 

Currently, 11 tobacco manufacturers have filed appeals with the HPA, with 6 of them completing the document review stage of the approval process.

He pointed out that product testing, as the second phase of evaluation, will take six months. He said that the results of an application from a manufacturer will be announced as soon as next month. If the evaluation is successful, the manufacturer will be authorized to legally sell their product with health warnings on the packaging. If the application is not approved, the manufacturer can resubmit the necessary documents to restart the process or challenge the decision through administrative remedies. 

Due to varying speeds of processing documents, the announcement of application results will be staggered. Wu added that any deficiencies or unsatisfactory documents must be corrected before the process can continue.

The Taiwan Tobacco Control Union criticized the revised law at a press conference. Members of the union pointed out that banning flavored cigarettes by specifically listing prohibited additives is flawed, as tobacco companies can easily circumvent regulations by developing new substances. 

In addition, the "health risk assessment" (misnamed by the Health Promotion Administration in the approval process) allows manufacturers to falsely advertise heated products as safer alternatives to cigarettes. They stated that tobacco product sales approval assessments or evaluations should be the correct terms for testing protocols.

Lo Su-ying, head of the tobacco control department of the Health Promotion Administration of Taiwan, said that the government has extensively consulted experts and medical professionals in drafting the law. The naming of the agency on the process reflects its aim to scientifically assess the impact of products on public health.