A laboratory markets a new synthetic nicotine

October 15, 2021

Par: National Committee Against Smoking

Dernière mise à jour: October 15, 2021

Temps de lecture: 6 minutes

British laboratory Zanoprima announces the commercialization of a new synthetic nicotine not derived from tobacco and its many possible variations.[1]This type of product portends a very competitive future for new nicotine products, particularly oral ones.

While Philip Morris International (PMI) promotes a "smoke-free world" (named after its Foundation for a Smoke-Free World), Zanoprima, for its part, proclaims its desire for a "tobacco-free world" by launching a new synthetic nicotine. Adopting various codes from the tobacco industry, this laboratory seems above all to want to position itself as a new player in the nicotine products market.

A shift towards new nicotine products

Like some synthetic nicotines produced by other manufacturers, the one developed by Zanoprima is not extracted from tobacco, is odorless, free of toxins and carcinogens, and is less irritating to the taste. Claiming to be responsible and "greener" by distancing itself from the highly polluting tobacco culture, it is called SyNic - for "synthetic nicotine." Like its competitors, Zanoprima adopts a discourse referring to harm reduction and even includes arguments from the World Health Organization (WHO) to remind people that tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in the world.[2].

Available in the form of bitartre, resin, or "complex," this synthetic nicotine is intended for multiple applications: e-liquid, snus (nicotine pouches), lozenges, and "new generation" gum. Also announced are heated nicotine (using devices similar to those used for heated/toasted tobacco), as well as patches intended to help treat dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

A highly competitive environment and risky positioning

The positioning of this laboratory, particularly on oral products, is reminiscent of that of the Fertin Pharma laboratory, acquired by PMI in July 2021 and which had also designed snus, gums and lozenges.[3]. While it claims to have patents filed in many countries and is apparently determined to launch a range of products under its own brand, one may wonder whether Zanoprima is not instead seeking to position itself alongside PMI's competitors with a view to a profitable acquisition. Its heated nicotine project, for example, is positioned as a direct rival to heated/grilled tobacco devices, a sector where PMI has a greater lead over its competitors.

The therapeutic promise of some of these products may nevertheless be questioned, particularly for the project of patches intended to treat dementia and Alzheimer's disease. A WHO synthesis on the much-discussed links between tobacco and dementia had established that 40% of the studies on this subject concluded on a positive influence of tobacco and nicotine when they were financed by the tobacco industry, while 45% of these studies indicated a negative impact of smoking on Alzheimer's disease and dementia when they were produced by researchers independent of the industry.[4]. Among these studies, only one investigated the links between smokeless tobacco consumption and dementia or Alzheimer's disease, without being able to pronounce on a significant influence. This subject therefore remains prone to controversy and it seems risky to put forward therapeutic claims for diseases for which there are currently no treatments.

Despite the tobacco industry's efforts, the therapeutic benefits of nicotine appear to be limited to helping people quit smoking. So-called "recreational" oral products, however, differ from nicotine treatments in their high nicotine concentrations and faster delivery, which appear to promote addiction rather than cessation.

Questions about the place of nicotine products

Faced with the proliferation of regulations restricting the use of smoked tobacco, the smokeless tobacco segment, driven by e-cigarettes, is now experiencing rapid growth and ever-increasing diversification. Many operators, whether or not they are affiliated with the tobacco industry, have invested in this sector, taking advantage of the legal uncertainty surrounding it. The question of aligning these products with the regulations governing smoked tobacco products remains unresolved.[5], while waiting to decide on their harmfulness and to assess whether or not to accept the introduction of certain products onto the market. The European Union had thus opposed the widespread marketing of snus since 1992, even though it was produced and authorized by one of its member states.

A comprehensive review of nicotine products seems necessary here, supported by independent scientific assessments of the industry. Nicotine, often wrongly presented as a safe product by healthcare professionals specializing in harm reduction, is in fact a highly toxic product, and its consumption is not harmless from a cardiovascular perspective, beyond the risk of addiction it causes. As a representative of the Foundation Against Cancer (Belgium) pointed out in an article[6], methadone, an iconic harm reduction product, is not yet available as a consumer product. Some nicotine-based products, for example, could suffer a similar fate and see their access restricted to smoking cessation situations only, as has been the case since 1^er October 2021 in Australia for e-cigarettes.

Keywords: synthetic nicotine, Zanoprima, PMI, Fertin Pharma, snus, lozenges