Tobacco Asia

Volume 19, Number 4

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tobaccoasia 51 • Double your resource value • Use 100% expanded fine- cut for MYO and RYO • Untouchable product quality • Impex – pressure/vacuum technology • DIET - Dry Ice Expansion Technology AircoDIET has supplied more than 55 DIET plants worldwide, many of which have been turn-key. We continuously develop and refine the DIET process and our DIET plants have above 95% uptime with a dry yield better than 98.5% through the plant. www.aircodiet.com Over 100% tobacco expansion expansion expansion expansion Also, since the definition is by all in- tents and purposes so far only recognized by its originator, the FDA, products that are granted the status can only be sold, distributed, or marketed in the United States as MRTPs; at least until other regu- latory bodies elsewhere in the world jump on the bandwagon and adopt the defini- tion as well. But there is more to it: "At present, no regulatory authority has developed a scientific assessment framework and pre- Snus pouches dictive tests that could be used to assess a tobacco product and determine whether it has potential to reduce the risks of smoking," explained Joe Thompson, product sci- ence director at Imperial Tobacco Limited in Bristol, UK. So there we have it! On the one hand, tobacco manufacturers may at any time file an application for one or another of their products to be considered for MRTP status. But on the other hand, they are left pretty much in the dark as to exactly what scientific test data they are supposed to submit to support that application. It's a situation per- haps best described as a "Catch-22". The Uphill Battle Despite the circumstance that to date not one single product has been granted MRTP status in the United States, tobacco companies don't seem to be particularly discour- aged. Practically all of them have for years – sometimes decades – funneled consider- able resources into researching and developing potentially reduced risk – or to stick to the erstwhile term, modified risk – alternatives to conventional combustible tobacco products, including cigarettes. "We have spent over 50 years researching and understanding the causes of diseases related to tobacco use," said Chris Proctor, chief scientific officer at British American Tobacco (BAT). "Recent developments in technology and shifting consumer demand have made it both possible and commercially viable to develop potentially lower risk alternatives to conventional cigarettes that are acceptable to adult smokers." Imperial Tobacco likewise has a long track record of developing products that a government regulatory authority like the FDA may, perhaps, eventually come to regard as compliant with reduced exposure to toxicants and a reduced health risk. The firm also is rather proactively involved with scientific testing procedures that could poten- tially help regulators establish a definitive assessment framework for future MRTP applications. "We have developed an in-house testing framework and conducted research into this area, and we continue to seek opportunities to engage with regulators and exter- nal bodies to assist them in developing their own assessment frameworks," asserted

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