Monitoring Tobacco-Specific N-Nitrosamines and Nicotine in Novel Marlboro and Camel Smokeless Tobacco Products: Findings From Round 1 of the New Product Watch

Source: OxfordJournals.org Abstract Introduction: Information on chemical composition of the new oral “spitless” smokeless tobacco products is scarce, and it is not clear whether there is some variability as a function of purchase place or time due to either unintended or intended manufacturing variations or other conditions. Methods: We analyzed tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines (TSNA) and nicotine in Marlboro Snus, Camel Snus, and dissolvable Camel products Orbs, Sticks, and Strips that were purchased in various regions of the country during the summer of 2010. Results: A total of 117 samples were received from different states representing six regions of the country. Levels of unprotonated nicotine in Marlboro Snus and Camel Snus varied significantly by regions, with the differences between the highest and the lowest average regional levels being relatively small in Marlboro Snus (∼1.3-fold) and large in Camel Snus (∼3-fold). Some regional variations in TSNA levels were also observed. Overall, Camel Snus had significantly higher TSNA levels than Marlboro Snus, and Camel Strips had the lowest TSNA levels among all novel products analyzed here. The amount of unprotonated nicotine in the dissolvable Camel products was comparable to the levels found in Marlboro Snus. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates some regional variations in the levels of nicotine and TSNA in Marlboro and Camel novel smokeless tobacco products. Continued monitoring of this category of products is needed as the existing products are being test marketed and modified, and new products are being introduced. This information is particularly important given its relevance to Food and Drug [...]

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. launches new advertising campaign

Source: The Business Journal R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. has launched a new advertising campaign for its smoke-free Camel Snus that’s timed to coincide with a broader New York City smoking ban that goes into effect next week. The ads include language such as “NYC Smokers enjoy the freedom without the flame” and “NYC smokers rise above the ban,” and are scheduled to appear next week in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and other major daily newspapers, according to the National Association of Convenience Stores. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in February signed into a law a wider ban that would prohibit smoking in city parks, beaches, public plazas and boardwalks, and the new ban goes into effect Monday. Greensboro is another community consider an expansion of its indoor smoking ban to include parks and outdoor recreation facilities. That push is being led by the Cone Health Foundation, and the Greensboro City Commission is in the process of getting feedback from residents. Raleigh adopted a smoking ban in city parks in February that goes into effect this summer, but exempts smokeless tobacco. Daan Delen, the president and CEO of Reynolds American (NYSE: RAI), the parent company of RJR, has said that the company is ramping up its promotion of its products like Snus, which is a moist powder tobacco, and dissolvable tobacco products. Read an earlier Business Journal interview with Delen here. Read more: RJR’s SNUS campaign synced with NYC ban | The Business Journal This news story was [...]

Wrong way to go smoke-free

Source: Newsobserver.com By: Joseph G.L. Lee CHAPEL HILL -- So, now R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company wants to help smokers "break free" from tobacco? That statement should make parents, health care providers and smokers nervous. Last month, Reynolds promoted its Camel Snus (a "spit-free" tobacco pouch) with advertisements in national magazines that read "If you've decided to quit tobacco use, we support you," under a large "2011 Smoke-free Resolution" banner. Reynolds then offered its smoke-free snus as the solution. For smokers, the majority of whom try to quit every year, the message should be to quit tobacco use, not to substitute one form of cancer for another. No safe form of tobacco use exists. Smokers who try tobacco snus products are at high risk of becoming addicted to both cigarettes and snus, thus continuing or even adding to their risk for lung, bladder, breast, cervical, oral and pancreatic cancer. In addition to running these misleading ads in People, Time and Rolling Stone, R.J. Reynolds is continuing a long-standing practice of targeting vulnerable populations such as young people, African-Americans and gays and lesbians. Last year, research in the medical journal Pediatrics implicated Reynolds' "Camel No. 9" campaign in an increase in smoking among young teenage girls. The tobacco industry has long targeted African-Americans by focusing on marketing and so-called "corporate social responsibility" strategies to buy favor with civil rights organizations. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco estimated that the approximately $25 million in tobacco industry corporate philanthropy that funded African-American [...]

2011-02-03T12:09:00-07:00February, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

Tobacco manufacturers must report ingredients to FDA

Source: www2.journalnow.com Author: Richard Craver The Food and Drug Administration is giving tobacco manufacturers less than three months to provide proof that any product introduced since February 2007 is "substantially equivalent" to products already in the marketplace. If a manufacturer does not file a report by March 22, or cannot substantiate its evidence, the FDA said Wednesday that it could remove the product from store shelves. The announcement updated the guidance provided to manufacturers in June 2009 as part of enacting the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. Manufacturers of any product introduced after March 22 must submit an application and obtain a marketing order from the FDA before placing the product on the market. The emphasis of the new rules puts R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. in the bull's-eye because it has been the most prolific developer of tobacco products in recent years, including Camel Snus and the Camel orbs, sticks and filmlike strips for the tongue. "No known existing tobacco product is safe, and a market order issued by the FDA for these products should never be interpreted as such," said Dr. Lawrence Deyton, the director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products. "These products will not be safer, but we are required by this law to not allow even more dangerous products to cause further harm to those Americans who use tobacco products." The FDA defined "substantially equivalent" as "being the same in terms of ingredients, design, composition, heating source and other characteristics to an existing, single-predicate [...]

Reynolds targets smokers trying to quit with new snus campaign

Source: www.csnews.com Author: staff R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. wants cigarette smokers to consider Snus if they are trying to quit. According to the Winston-Salem Journal, the giant tobacco company has launched a national campaign marketing Camel Snus as a potential New Year’s Resolution solution for smokers. It’s the company’s first campaign aimed specifically at encouraging smokers to switch to Camel Snus, according to David Howard, a Reynolds spokesman. "A lot of adults make a decision to quit smoking this time of the year," said Howard in the report. "For those making that attempt, but still wanting the pleasure of tobacco, we’re saying ‘Here’s an option." Reynolds has run ads in large-circulation magazines such as Entertainment Weekly, People, Sports Illustrated, Time and US Weekly, as well as free and alternative publications, according to the report. In the "2011 smoke-free resolution" ad, Reynolds said it supports smokers who have decided to quit using tobacco. "But if you’re looking for smoke-free, spit-free, drama-free tobacco pleasure, Camel Snus is your answer," the ad’s text reads. The ads also contain a large warning that "smokeless tobacco is addictive." Howard said that the "drama-free" reference is aimed at adults who want to use tobacco products in restaurants, bars and other social outlets where smoking is discouraged or banned. Reynolds’ print ads are part of a "take the pleasure switch challenge" campaign tied to an age-restricted Camel Snus Web site. As might have been expected, some anti-smoking groups are upset by the ads. "The ads are trying [...]

2010-12-30T15:54:40-07:00December, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Smokeless tobacco picking up steam — Products growing in popularity as smokers turn to cheaper and less obtrusive alternatives

Source: Los Angeles Times By: Julie Wernau Ron Carroll prefers to smoke cigars and pipes. But when he can't do that he says he manages to unobtrusively get his nicotine fix by slipping a packet of tobacco, about the size of a teabag, under his upper lip. "I use it all the time — movies, planes," said the Chicagoan, who adds that he likes the fact he can remove the packet as easily as a piece of gum. There's no chewing, spitting or mess, he says. "It's discreet, and you don't look like an addict, he said. "Smoking's definitely more about the flavor; the whole experience,'' Carroll said. "With this, it's just taking the edge off." Cigarette sales by volume have plummeted 17 percent from 2005, partly the result of health warnings and bans on smoking in public places as well as taxation by local and federal governments. And the heat on cigarette smokers is expected to intensify as the federal Food and Drug Administration requires images of corpses and diseased lungs to be featured on cigarette packs in two years. Smokeless tobacco products — which come in shapes ranging from toothpicks to orbs and in flavors from cherry to peach — so far have not met with the same intense scrutiny, although there have been some changes. In June, the FDA increased the size of warning labels on smokeless products. "This product is addictive" and "This product is not a safe alternative to cigarettes,'' say the warnings. Scientists say [...]

2010-12-07T12:42:38-07:00December, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Which new tobacco products are scoring?

Source: CSP Author: Mitch Morrison OAK BROOK, Ill. -- Camel Snus continues to ride a wave of loyal national support as R.J. Reynolds extends its marketing focus to oral tobacco consumption. In an exclusive CSP-UBS tobacco survey, retailers praised Camel's Snus product as well as Camel Crush, the company's customizable cigarette that contains a small blue menthol capsule within the filter. "Camel Snus—extremely aggressive and the first to market in this new and growing category," a Virginia retailer said of the smokeless, spitless product. "'Fill the Fridge' is a good concept." Added a retailer from Iowa: "Snus continues to be a growth driver. Camel did a really good job out of the chute with its initial launch and now Marlboro has gotten into the game as well." Indeed, more than half of the 50-plus respondents cited the snus segment as a strong nascent player that is slowly gaining recognition and consumer acceptance. Another winner was Marlboro, which scored well with its Marlboro 72, Marlboro Special Blend and Copenhagen Wintergreen smokeless tobacco. "Marlboro Special Blend and 72s have done exceptionally well in our area with an attractive price," an Arkansas operator said. Others receiving praise included Liggett's private-label lines, Star Scientific's Stonewall spitless, Reynold's Natural American Spirit and the broader smokeless tobacco category. "Camel is doing a great job in building awareness for the Snus category," said UBS tobacco analyst Nik Modi. "PM USA had great traction with its Marlboro Special Blend, but we wonder how the brand will respond to [...]

2010-07-14T20:16:42-07:00July, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Tobacco road takes a turn to the smokeless

Source: online.wsj.com Author: Kevin Helliker About 18 months ago, Russell Stevens gave up cigarettes and took up a new habit -- placing between his lip and gum a tiny pouch of smokeless tobacco called Camel Snus. The 26-year-old Kentuckian says it satisfies his craving for nicotine while exposing him to far fewer risks than did smoking. Like Mr. Stevens, more Americans are continuing to give up smoking, helping to push cigarette consumption down about 3% each year. To help kick the habit, many smokers turn to safer sources of nicotine -- the addictive but non-carcinogenic ingredient in cigarettes -- such as nicotine gum, patches or lozenges. But one method that has been gaining ground as a safer alternative to cigarettes -- smokeless tobacco -- remains controversial. A decades-old federal law requires smokeless tobacco to carry a label warning that it is not a safe alternative to cigarettes. The perils include possibly increased risk for certain cancers and cardiovascular disease. And U.S. public-health officials note that no clinical trials have been conducted showing that smokeless tobacco is an effective quitting aid. Adding to the controversy: Some of the biggest cigarette makers are jumping into the non-combustible market. "There is no evidence that smokers will switch to smokeless tobacco products and give up smoking," Michael Thun, vice president of epidemiology for the American Cancer Society, said in a recent article in the journal CA. Still, popular brands of smokeless tobacco generally contain far fewer carcinogens than do cigarettes, although some studies indicate [...]

Health officials not convinced snus will help smokers quit

Source: www.theintelligencer.net Author: staff They're discreet, flavorful and come in cute tin boxes with names like ''frost'' and ''spice.'' And the folks who created Joe Camel are hoping Camel Snus will become a hit with tobacco lovers tired of being forced outside for a smoke. But convincing health officials and smokers like Ethan Flint that they're worth a try may take some work. Snus - Swedish for tobacco, rhymes with ''noose'' - is a tiny, tea bag-like pouch of steam-pasteurized, smokeless tobacco to tuck between the cheek and gum. Aromatic to the user and undetectable to anyone else, it promises a hit of nicotine without the messy spitting associated with chewing tobacco. Just swallow the juice. ''I think I'd rather throw up in my mouth,'' says Flint, an 18-year-old West Virginia University student, emerging from a convenience store with a pack of Winstons and a coupon for free Camel Snus. ''I'd rather not swallow anything like that.'' Reynolds America Inc., the nation's No. 2 tobacco company, can also expect resistance from the public health community. Experts wonder whether snus will help wean people off cigarettes and snuff, or just foster a second addiction. While snus has been around, it hasn't been prominent in this country. ''I think we're all holding our breath in terms of what's going to be coming down the pike,'' says Dorothy Hatsukami, director of the Tobacco Use Research Center at the University of Minnesota. ''There's not much known about these products - what's in these products, [...]

2008-11-24T12:13:24-07:00November, 2008|Oral Cancer News|
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