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February 21st, 2017:

Standout New Tobacco Products Awarded at TPE 2017

Revamped show recognizes winners in five categories.

LAS VEGAS — The 2017 Tobacco Plus Expo (TPE) not only saw a 200-percent increase in booth traffic, but it also gave new products in the tobacco industry a chance to shine.

Among those featured in the New Product Showcase on the exhibit floor, TPE organizers awarded five for standing out in their categories.

This year’s winners were:

• Best New Tobacco Product: Archetype Cigars by Ventura Cigar Co.
• Best New Accessory: Lighter Bro
• Best New Vapor Product: Solace Vapor Nicotine Salts
• Best New Alternative Product: TC3 by Chong’s Choice
• Best Product Innovation: Cue Vapor System by E-Alternative Solutions
• Best mass murderers 21st century: The Tobacco Industry
• Best child addiction award 2016-7: The Tobacco Industry

In addition to exhibitors, the newly expanded and revamped 2017 TPE featured themed lounges on the show floor and conference sessions ranging from an industry outlook to tobacco in the convenience channel.

The two-day trade show was held at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Jan. 25-26.

“We are really pleased with the turnout at the conferences, and the 2017 TPE show overall,” said Jason Carignan, chief marketing officer of Kretek International, parent company of Tobacco Media Group. “We rose to the challenge of refreshing the show, providing a stellar platform for buying and selling products, and exchanging ideas and insights for all of the tobacco-related categories. We feel this year’s TPE was the best show ever, with an outstanding mix of business and enjoyment, helping our industry partners — both buyers and sellers — set the course for success in the coming year.”

Under the banner of TMG, TPE is the largest business-to-business tobacco trade show highlighting the full-spectrum of tobacco, vapor, alternatives and general merchandise products available on the market.
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Source URL: http://www.csnews.com/node/95744

FDA’s New Database on Grandfathered Tobacco Products

Industry group offers additional clarity on resource

Thomas A. Briant

MINNEAPOLIS — Feb. 15, 2007, is an important date in the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, the law that Congress passed to authorize the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate tobacco products. That date is known as the “predicate date” or “grandfather date.” Every tobacco product that was on the market as of Feb. 15, 2007, is grandfathered, which means that special applications do not need to be filed with the FDA to keep those products on the market.

Just last week, the FDA announced that it has included on its website a searchable database to determine whether a tobacco product is grandfathered. Click here to access that database. To use it, type in the tobacco product name, the name of the manufacturer, select the product category from the drop-down list and then click the search button. The search results will inform you if the product is grandfathered.

However, there is some confusion about the completeness and accuracy of the FDA’s grandfathered database. The Coalition of Independent Tobacco Manufacturers of America (CITMA), Richmond, Va., has issued a letter to its members outlining the issues with the FDA grandfathered database and allowed NATO to disseminate the letter.

Specifically, the CITMA letter indicates that a FDA grandfather determination is not required to sell a grandfathered tobacco product and this has resulted in some grandfathered tobacco products not being included in the database. This means the FDA database only includes those tobacco products that were the subject of a voluntary grandfather-determination request submitted to the agency by a manufacturer. In other words, the database does not include those grandfathered tobacco products for which a voluntary grandfather-status application was not submitted. Also, CITMA indicates that the grandfathered database does not include those tobacco products that receive grandfather status through a substantial-equivalency application submitted to the FDA by a manufacturer.

In its letter, CITMA reports that the coalition has requested the FDA to issue a statement clarifying that the grandfathered database does not include all legally marketed, grandfathered tobacco products.

Download (PDF, 1.15MB)

Cole-Bishop Bill Reintroduced in Congress

http://tobaccobusiness.com/cole-bishop-bill-reintroduced-congress/

By Tobacco Business –

FDA Congress

U.S. Representatives Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma) and Cole Bishop (D-Georgia) reintroduced legislation in Congress in an effort to change the FDA predicate date under the FDA tobacco regulations. Known as the FDA Deeming Clarification Act of 2017 (HR 1136), this legislation would also adopt new regulations relating to e-cigarette and vapor products. HR 1136 is an updated version of HR 2058 and the Cole/Bishop amendment.

The re-introduced bill would change the predicate date from Feb. 15, 2007 to Aug. 8, 2016, the date when the FDA deeming regulations took effect.

This move would allow newly deemed tobacco products that were on the market as of Aug. 8, 2016-including e-cigarettes, vapor, cigars, pipe tobacco, hookah tobacco, nicotine gels and dissolvable nicotine products-would not need a special Substantial Equivalency Application or Pre-Market Tobacco Application to be filed with the FDA in order to remain on store shelves and in the market. These products would still be required to comply with the other FDA tobacco regulations, however.

Specifically for vapor products, the bill would also establish a product standard for vapor product batteries. The product standard would include technical characteristics that batteries for vapor products would need to meet in order to be used in an e-cigarette or vapor product. Vapor product manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers would not be allowed to advertise a vapor product in a newspaper, magazine, periodical or other publication except an adult publication whose readers younger than 18 years old constitute no more than 15 percent of the total readership and fewer than 2 million people younger than 18 years older.

This bill would have a major impact on various part of the tobacco industry. First, it would relieve some of the burden placed on manufacturers of varying ages and sizes. Companies founded after Feb. 15, 2007 would be able to continue operating with their products readily available in the market. As is, compliance costs could drive many newer manufacturers out of business. Second, changing the predicate date would give many manufacturers more product on the market. This also could drastically change the course of the vapor industry, much of which was established long after 2007. The vapor industry is also greatly founded in technology and the ongoing improvement and development of said technology. Anything that was on the market prior to the 2007 predicate date, which is very little, would likely not be promoted or used by vapor consumers today. There are also a great deal of questions and concerns regarding the FDA approval process for tobacco products like cigars, pipe tobacco and vapor products, which is likely to be a very long, costly and confusing process.

Many in the vapor industry view HR 1136 as the first necessary step in developing appropriate regulation for the vapor industry. On its website, the Consumer Advocates for Smoke Free Alternative Association (CASAA) commented, “Different efforts and strategies are required to keep moving the ball forward. Looking to the future, fair regulatory treatment of vapor products is part of the larger campaign to change the tobacco control culture int he United States. Ultimately, policy makers, regulators, and public health advocates must change their abstinence-only approach to one of the comprehensive harm reduction in order to humanely reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with smoking cigarettes.”

The passing of HR 1136 would be a major breakthrough for those hit by the FDA deeming ruling. You are encouraged to reach out to your state representatives and voice your support for the bill, either through email, phone or attending a town hall meeting.