Australia: Sale of heated tobacco products blocked

By an interim decision of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)[1] In Australia, tobacco manufacturer Philip Morris has been blocked from applying to market its new heated tobacco products in the country. The final decision will be published on Monday, August 24.

On 9 June 2020, the TGA rejected a request by Philip Morris to postpone consideration of legislation on nicotine products, a delay that would have helped the company bring its new tobacco products to the Australian market.

The tobacco industry claims that heated tobacco products are marketed as less harmful alternatives to traditional tobacco products such as regular cigarettes. However, scientists and independent studies claim that when these short cigarettes are smoked, incomplete combustion (or pyrolysis) occurs, resulting in the formation of harmful chemicals such as tar and carbon monoxide. All research independent of that of the tobacco industry demonstrates that heated tobacco produces toxic substances at high levels. To date, only combustible nicotine products such as cigarettes and cigars are permitted to be sold in Australia.

In its defence, Philip Morris claims that heated tobacco products, which are different from vaping products, have been approved for use in more than 50 countries. But the TGA found they were “of no benefit to public health”, had a high potential to cause harm and were a new way of delivering nicotine and causing addiction rather than a “stop smoking” product.

The decision was greeted with cautious optimism by public health experts because the tobacco industry is willing to try anything to get its new products to market. In 2018Philip Morris has forced the New Zealand government in court to sell its heated tobacco products. At this stage, Philip Morris does not appear to be appealing the decision in Australia but the tobacco maker said the company would continue to debate with the public and government whether cigarette substitutes should be sold in Australia.

©Generation Without Tobacco

Source of the article (in English)

[1] https://www.tga.gov.au/sites/default/files/public-submissions-scheduling-matters-referred-acms-29-accs-27-and-joint-acms-accs-24-meetings-held-march-2020-lfa.pdf

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