After heated tobacco, it is now the turn of snuff to seek the status of “modified risk tobacco product”

On July 7, the FDA granted Philip Morris the right to market IQOS as a "modified-risk tobacco product." Based on scientific data provided by the manufacturer itself, this decision suggests that electronic combustion would reduce the exposure of smokers and those around them to the harmful substances in cigarette smoke. Manufacturers of tobacco products that do not produce smoke, such as snuff, are not far behind.

Back to the tobacco industry's risk reduction argument

If all new tobacco products have in common that they are presented as healthier alternatives to cigarettes by their manufacturers, this is not a mere coincidence. While the dangerousness of conventional cigarettes is no longer in doubt, that of new tobacco products still benefits from their novelty and the lack of rigorous independent data on their possible toxicity to claim their safety.

However, it is precisely this benefit of the doubt that tobacco manufacturers exploit to attract all types of consumers and not just to help smokers quit smoking. The problem behind the harm reduction argument is therefore its overuse in manufacturers' marketing strategies to fuel their ambition for conquest rather than public health interests.

Snuff Manufacturers' Plans

Marketing a product that does not burn or heat tobacco, in that it is placed between the lips and gums to be dissolved, or even chewed, without releasing smoke, snuff manufacturers are also coveting the status of "modified risk tobacco product" (MRTP) from the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

In October 2019, Swedish Match, the third largest snuff manufacturer in the United States, was the first company to receive approval to market eight snuff products with the “modified risk tobacco product” label.[1]. Now able to promote these products as having "reduced risks of oral cancer, heart attack, lung cancer, stroke, emphysema and chronic bronchitis"[2], Swadish Match has especially received a considerable advantage in the competition with its two main competitors.

To date, British American Tobacco, which dominates the American market with "Camel", and Altria, which follows with "Copenhagen", are still awaiting the FDA's decision.

Worse still, Altria has filed a request to market the On! snuff product in the United States.[3] which is 100% tobacco-free, but not 100% nicotine-free! The addictive substance was actually extracted from tobacco plants. If it gets the marketing approval, Altria plans to apply to the FDA to market the product as an MRTP[4].

Health warning

As the good news for these unscrupulous manufacturers multiplies, it is appropriate to call for caution. For information, snuff, more commonly known as "snus", is banned in the European Union. In addition, scientific knowledge on the subject is becoming clearer and is gradually shedding light on the health risks associated with its consumption, such as oral diseases and infections, cancers and cardiovascular diseases.

Added to this are the risks of initiation to tobacco products, particularly for young people. Discreet, available in several flavors, embellished on social networks, snuff products combine attractiveness factors.

©Generation Without Tobacco

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[1] FDA News Release, FDA grants first-ever modified risk orders to eight smokeless tobacco products, Food and Drug Administration (October 22, 2019 - accessed July 20, 2020). [2] DUPREY Rich, This Company Is Betting Big That Tobacco-Free Pouches Will Be the Next E-Cig, The Motley Fool (February 25, 2020 - accessed July 20, 2020). [3] FDA to Begin Substantive Review of on!® Nicotine Pouches, Business Wire (Richmond: June 9, 2020 - accessed July 20, 2020). [4] KARY Tiffany, GRETLER Corinne, Big Tobacco Hopes Oral Nicotine Pouches Fill the Vaping Void, Bloomberg Business Week (July 17, 2020 - accessed July 20, 2020). DNF - For a Zero Tobacco World | MT