IMPERIAL TOBACCO CANADA SETS THE RECORD STRAIGHT
The company worked with Health Canada and complied with all requirements to bring an innovative smoking cessation tool to market
MONTREAL, Feb. 15, 2024 /CNW/ - Today, Imperial Tobacco Canada (ITCAN) fought back against opposition to its new nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), ZONNIC, the first and only nicotine pouch in Canada authorised for sale as a smoking cessation product by Health Canada. ZONNIC nicotine pouches followed a 2-year review process with Health Canada, demonstrating the safety and efficacy as a cessation aid for adults that wish to stop smoking.
"There was no loophole in the way ZONNIC's license was granted. Health Canada did its due diligence and now Canadians who smoke have a new and effective way to quit," said Eric Gagnon, Vice President, Corporate and Regulatory Affairs, ITCAN. "The loophole is that there is no legal minimum age set for NRTs, so kids can walk into a store and buy these products. That is the real problem."
Imperial Tobacco Canada agrees that minors should not use any nicotine products, and this is why the company has gone above and beyond to ensure ZONNIC is only marketed and sold to adults. For example, ZONNIC has been stored behind the counter and sold only after proper age verification in retail outlets since its launch in October of last year, which is not the case for all other NRT products. In addition, ITCAN presented a comprehensive framework to market NRTs that would ensure these products stay out of the hands of kids but the company has not heard back from Health Canada.
"ZONNIC is not marketed any differently than any other NRT products in Canada. Suggesting otherwise is inaccurate and only driven by anti-tobacco health groups that disagree with everything we do," stated Gagnon. "It is irresponsible for governments to target a legal product that smokers are finding an effective to quit, simply because they dislike the inconvenient fact that the manufacturer is a tobacco company."
ITCAN wishes to remind governments that, while anti-tobacco groups continue their crusade against ZONNIC, an illegal nicotine pouch market continues to flourish across Canada. The company said it has shared a list of websites and specialty stores that are selling unauthorised and unregulated products that contain up to 20 mg of nicotine to Minister Holland's department but, again, the company hasn't heard anything back.
"We will continue to defend our right to sell a legal product designed to help adults quit smoking. Governments and health groups across Canada have urged ITCAN to provide a less harmful alternative to cigarettes for decades, and now that we have, they are doing everything they can to reduce its access to adult smokers that wish to quit. This raises concerns about policy development in the country," concluded Gagnon.
Imperial Tobacco Canada is Canada's leading tobacco and vaping products company and is part of the world's most international tobacco group: BAT. BAT is a global multi-category consumer goods business, operating in over 180 markets. Our vision is to build A Better Tomorrowtm by reducing the health impact of our business through offering a greater choice of enjoyable and less risky products for our consumers.
SOURCE Imperial Tobacco Canada
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