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Tobacco Harm Reduction

THR is one of the most important public health movements in America.

Reynolds Believes THR is an Opportunity to Benefit Public Health

 

Reynolds champions Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) in an array of ways, including product development and science, regulatory engagement with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and external engagement with interested stakeholders.

THR is an evidence-based public health strategy intended to reduce the health harms associated with using combustible tobacco products.

THR encourages adult smokers uninterested in quitting tobacco altogether to consider using an innovative, alternative nicotine product that may present less risk, like vapor, tobacco heating, oral nicotine and smokeless products.

Empowering Adult Smoker Choice

 

The best choice any smoker can make will always be quitting tobacco products completely. We do not make any health or cessation claims about our portfolio of products. No tobacco product is safe or without risk. The long-term health risks of these products are not known, and they contain nicotine, which is addictive.

 

Even with this in mind, all adult tobacco users deserve to understand their tobacco product options, from combustible to non-combustible. Because of this, we are constantly working to reduce the health impact of our business by offering adult consumers a greater choice of enjoyable and potentially reduced-risk*† products compared to cigarettes. Our focus on THR, informed by science, is critical in achieving our purpose to deliver A Better Tomorrow™ because a world without harm reduction does more harm.

 

“*Based on the weight of evidence and assuming a complete transition from cigarette smoking. These products are not risk-free and are addictive.

† Our Vapor product Vuse (including Alto, Solo, Ciro and Vibe) and certain products including Velo, Grizzly, Kodiak, and Camel Snus, which are sold in the U.S., are subject to FDA regulation and no reduced-risk claims will be made as to these products without agency clearance.

 

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Nicotine Pouches

Nicotine pouches, often referred to as modern oral products, are smokeless, oral, tobacco leaf-free pouches that are placed between the adult consumer’s gum and the lip to provide and release nicotine and flavors that are absorbed through the oral mucosa. Nicotine pouches do not contain tobacco leaf and may contain nicotine derived from tobacco or synthetic nicotine.

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e-cigarettes

Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), commonly known as vaping products, are battery-powered devices that heat nicotine containing e-liquids to produce an aerosol that the consumer inhales. The atomizer – the part that produces the vapor – consists of a tiny electric heater combined with a wick made from absorbent materials such as glass fiber, cotton, or ceramic. E-liquids may contain nicotine derived from tobacco or synthetic nicotine.

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Tobacco Heating Products

Tobacco heating products (THP) are products in which tobacco is heated and not burned to release nicotine and generate an aerosol. The burning of a normal cigarette can reach over 900°C but the heating chamber in an electronic THP heating chamber device reaches up to 260°C, which is not a high enough temperature to create combustion. The lower temperature has the potential to result in lower yields of harmful and potentially harmful constituents compared to combustible cigarette smoke.

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Smokeless Tobacco Products

Traditional oral products, also known as smokeless tobacco products, are those containing tobacco leaf and include portioned snus, loose moist, and portioned moist oral tobacco products, among others. Different from modern oral nicotine pouches, these pouches contain tobacco leaf. However, there is no combustion when using these products.

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Reducing the Health Impact of Our Business

 

Reducing the health impact of our business is paramount to our sustainability commitment. To do this, we prioritize innovation among our New Category products so we can offer an increased variety of potentially reduced-risk products for adult nicotine consumers.

2023 Health Impact of Our Business By the Numbers

Published

Inaugural white paper on Tobacco Harm Reduction.

0%

Increase in New Category revenue between 2022 and 2023.

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Publications on Tobacco Harm Reduction, strengthening science positions and key issues.

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Posters and talks presented by our scientists.

We have a real opportunity to improve our communities and society by reducing the risk of smoking for adults through Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) initiatives, which are backed by science and have shown positive results that we are building on to achieve our vision, mission, and goals

-Chris Junker, Vice President, Scientific & Regulatory Affairs within the Reynolds American Organization

Creating A Better Tomorrow for Public Health in America

In 2023, we released our inaugural white paper, Tobacco Harm Reduction: Creating A Better Tomorrow for Public Health in America. The report provides information about harm reduction and its scientific evidence. We encourage its use as a resource and guide for productive conversations about harm reduction and its benefits. It is available in written and audio versions on ReynoldsHarmReduction.com.

Since 1970, the rate of adult smoking has fallen more than 70% in the U.S. However, of those adults that still use tobacco products, including non-combustible products, more than 79% use combustible cigarettes. That number will likely remain higher than it could be if there is a lack of access to potentially less risky product alternatives for adult smokers who are uninterested in quitting tobacco altogether.1
1Current Cigarette Smoking among Adults in the United States.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/adult_data/cig_smoking/index.htm

Our continued commitment to scientific understanding of THR

In 2023, Reynolds American companies initiated a 24-month study, Longitudinal Tobacco Use and Transitions Survey (LTTS), as part of our Pre-Market Tobacco Product Application (PMTA) for Vuse Alto. The study measured the impact of Vuse vapor on certain adult populations across the country and how using Vuse may benefit adult consumers who do not want to quit tobacco use.

 

Scientific evidence is the No. 1 driver of our THR strategy. We value constructive debate and transparency among all stakeholders in this effort to bolster THR and enable the transition to less harmful products. This is why we have released the findings of LTTS to the public. A full presentation on the study can be found at ReynoldsScience.com.