User:SimonDes/HnB

Heat-not-burn (or heated) tobacco products employ heating, rather than burning of tobacco in order to deliver flavours and nicotine to their users. Though they vary in design and technological approach, all have in common that they use actual tobacco in one form or another.

Heat not burn systems rest on the premise that the vast majority of toxicants and carcinogens are formed by the actual burning of tobacco. But because the segment is fairly new and limited in terms of population exposure, their long-term health effects are not known.

History
The first commercial heat not burn product was RJR Nabisco's Premier, a “smokeless cigarette” launched in 1988 in the United States. The device consisted of a tobacco-containing tube, at the end of which was a carbon tip meant to provide heat. Despite a billion-dollar development and launch campaign, the product was a commercial failure. RJR Nabisco pulled it from the market months later after organizations recommended to the US Food and Drug Administration to restrict it or classify it as a drug. The Premier concept went on to be further developed and re-launched as Eclipse in the mid 90's, and then again in 2015 as Revo (to no success in both cases).

Shortly after Eclipse's arrival on the US market, Philip Morris launched its own tobacco heating device called Accord (later called Heatbar). It consisted of a plastic holder containing a rechargeable battery and that heated a tobacco stick every time a puff was drawn. Described as "awkward looking", Accord/Heatbar enjoyed little success and was quickly pulled from the market.

Currently marketed products
In 2010 start-up Pax Labs launched Ploom, a butane-fired device used for the heating of "botanical products". After its initial partnership with Japan Tobacco was dissolved, the device became known as Pax. Later models an electric system replaced butane heating.

The Ploom brand, however, remained with JT and the device itself has been replaced with a very different product called Ploom Tech, in which vapour passes through a capsule of granulated tobacco leaves. Initial test-marketing was positive and sales are being expanded throughout Japan. British American Tobacco (BAT) test-marketed a similar product called iFuse in Romania at the end of 2015.

In 2014 Philip Morris International started test marketing iQOS in Japan and Italy. While it rests upon the same technological assumption than Heatbar of heating a stick made of reconstituted tobacco, iQOS benefits from a better design, appearing like a pen-like device into which the tobacco stick is also inserted. The device was available in 20 countries at the end of 2016, and in light of positive data showing reduced levels of toxicants PMI filed an application to be marketed as a Modified risk tobacco product with the FDA. In 2016 BAT launched its own version of the technology called glo, also in Japan.