BATS British American Tobacco Plc

   By Dieter Holger 
 

British American Tobacco PLC (BATS.LN) has increased the markets its smokeless products are sold in as it transitions away from cigarettes, the company said Tuesday.

Some 29 markets world-wide now offer smokeless merchandise that the company bills as "potentially reduced-risk products," up from 18 in 2017. These products are "closely aligned" with the United Nations sustainable development goal of "good health and well-being," BAT said.

The merchandise includes electronic cigarettes for inhaling nicotine-laced vapor, tobacco heating products and oral products such as snus, which is powder tobacco placed in the upper lip that is popular in Sweden, the company said.

BAT said these products are less harmful than cigarettes.

"No tobacco or nicotine product is 100% safe," BAT said. "However, it is widely accepted that most of the harm associated with smoking is caused by inhaling the smoke produced by burning tobacco and not by nicotine."

BAT said its research and development is now mostly focused on providing new technologies for less-harmful nicotine products.

The company also said the number of published peer-reviewed articles and manuscripts researching the health risks of PRRPs compared to cigarettes went up to 64 in 2018 from 46 in 2017.

"While more third-party research--from regulators, academia and tobacco control campaigners--is undoubtedly needed, we are encouraged by the amount of independent evidence pointing to the potential of PRRPs to significantly reduce harm," BAT said.

Write to Dieter Holger at dieter.holger@dowjones.com; @dieterholger

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 19, 2019 10:46 ET (14:46 GMT)

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