Reducing the risks associated with smoking and developing new categories of nicotine products is a topic that is constantly on the agenda of society. There are around 1 billion smokers in the world with different preferences and expectations who need to have access to correct and complete information about these alternatives.

Dr. James MurphyPhoto: BAT

According to the manufacturers, the development of new product categories is based on research and scientific studies, but communication of these efforts and results may not be available to the general public. Today we talk about what scientific research means for the nicotine company and what the future holds with Dr James Murphy, BAT’s Director of Scientific Research.

  1. What do you think are the key steps in promoting the concept of reducing the harmful effects of smoking?

BAT’s contribution to reducing the harmful effects of smoking began 10 years ago with the launch of our first electronic cigarette, and we are proud of the progress we have made since then. Today, we offer consumers a wide range of alternative products, developed on the basis of scientific research and subjected to extremely rigorous testing and verification of effects before sale. Our tobacco-free products play an important role in reducing smoking rates in countries such as Japan, Sweden and the UK. 100 million adult smokers have switched from cigarettes to vaping products, heating tobacco products and modern oral nicotine products. However, more than 1 billion people worldwide continue to smoke despite the health risks. So there is still a lot of work ahead.

  1. What is BAT’s goal to expand the company’s portfolio with new product categories worldwide? How many consumers have now adopted low-risk BAT products?

We have developed a number of new products that contain nicotine but do not involve burning tobacco. Our vaping products, tobacco heating products, and advanced oral nicotine products are based on scientific evidence derived from published research and validated by experts in the field. Our goal is to have 50 million consumers choose these products by 2030. With 24 million consumers already choosing BAT tobacco-free products by the end of June 2023, we are well on our way to achieving this goal.

  1. How do you convince people who still smoke to switch to low-risk products?

Every smoker is different and has different preferences, and a one-size-fits-all approach may not work for everyone. That’s why we decided to develop several categories of pleasant and less risky products*. The more smokers find alternatives that are just as or more pleasurable than smoking, the more of them will switch to reduced-risk products* and not return to smoking. For example, studies have shown that flavorings play an important role not only in helping adult smokers switch to less harmful products, but also in preventing relapse.[1]

  1. How is BAT’s portfolio of new product categories developing globally?

We are constantly innovating to improve our portfolio of low-risk* products. Our latest innovation is a tobacco-free herbal nicotine product that is compatible with glo, BAT’s tobacco heating device. Plant-based consumables offer adult nicotine users and smokers an additional tobacco-free alternative.

We are present in the Romanian market with several categories of low-risk products: tobacco heating products, vaping products and oral nicotine sachets. In Romania and around the world, we are the leader in the vaping products segment, as well as the world leader in the category of modern oral nicotine products. glo, our tobacco heating product, has seen significant growth, with over 400,000 devices being used by adult consumers in Romania. In October 2023, we also launched tobacco-free glo herbal products under the veo™ brand.

  1. What should be the most effective regulatory approach to legislation in the field?

We believe in a multi-product approach that will help reduce the harmful effects of smoking so that adult consumers can choose the product that works best for them with reduced risk*. We believe that each category of low-risk* products should have specific regulations, and that science should guide the development of evidence-based and risk-proportionate regulations for each category. First, we urge policymakers, health authorities and regulators to make informed decisions based on the best available scientific evidence. Second, to note the progress made in countries that have successfully implemented strategies to reduce the harmful effects of smoking. And third, we must ensure that consumers have access to reliable sources of information about low-risk products*.

  1. What are BAT’s priorities for transformation to A Better Tomorrow™?

To accelerate the next stage of our transformation, we aim to “Build a smoke-free world” where 50% of our revenue comes from the sale of products that do not involve combustion by 2035. We will also continue to expand the portfolio with a wide range of low-risk* pleasurable products to actively encourage smokers to switch to better nicotine alternatives. This is a large-scale transformation process, the development of which is carefully monitored and periodically published.

* Based on scientific evidence and suggests a complete transition from smoking to these products, which are not without risk and are addictive

[1] Forster, M., Filbelkorn, S., Yurteri, C., Mariner, D., Liu, C., Wright, K., McAdam, C., Murphy, J., & Proctor, K. (2018). Evaluation of a new tobacco heating product THP1.0. Part 3: Comprehensive chemical characterization of harmful and potentially harmful aerosol emissions. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 93:14-33. DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2017.10.006.

Article based on BAT