Global experts call for risk-based regulation of nicotine products

The Philippine Star

March 14, 2026 | 12:00am

Some public health experts and researchers are calling on governments to consider risk-proportionate regulation for nicotine products, saying that current tobacco control approaches may not fully address the needs of the world’s more than one billion smokers.

The discussion follows recent scientific and economic analyses presented at international tobacco harm-reduction forums.

A report by the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction group suggests smoking-related deaths could decline if a portion of smokers shift to products considered less harmful than combustible cigarettes.

The report estimates that if about 20% of smokers worldwide switched to smoke-free alternatives over the next 10 to 15 years, smoking-related deaths could be reduced significantly by 2060.

Some experts involved in the discussions say tobacco policy should account for differences in risk between products. They point to alternatives such as e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products as potentially lower-risk options compared with conventional cigarettes.

Among those raising the issue are former World Health Organization policy research director Tikki Pang, former WHO official Derek Yach, Institute for Economic Affairs economist Chris Snowdon and harm-reduction advocate Peter Beckett.

In a joint analysis, they said incorporating harm-reduction strategies alongside existing tobacco control measures could increase the number of lives saved.

Their report estimates that across 23 countries studied, more than 14 million premature deaths could be avoided by 2060 under such scenarios. Globally, the figure could exceed 100 million, according to their projections.

Evidence on smoking alternatives remains an area of active research. A Cochrane review found that e-cigarettes may help some smokers quit more effectively than traditional nicotine replacement therapies.

Public Health England has previously estimated that vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking, though health authorities in several countries continue to debate the long-term risks.

Researchers, including University College London’s Robert West and Imperial College London’s David Nutt, say reducing tobacco-related disease requires policies informed by epidemiological evidence about the relative harms of nicotine products. Smoking is estimated to cause about eight million deaths globally each year.

Other studies have examined nicotine pouches as part of harm-reduction strategies. Research led by Cristine Delnevo of the Rutgers Institute for Nicotine and Tobacco Studies, published in JAMA Network Open, found that switching from higher-risk tobacco products to nicotine pouches could have potential public health benefits for some users who do not quit nicotine entirely.

At a recent panel organized by the International Association on Smoking Control & Harm Reduction (SCHORE) in Athens, participants from multiple countries said tobacco control policies should continue to be guided by scientific evidence, including research on relative risk.

In the Philippines, economist Christopher Cabuay studied the possible economic effects of smokers switching to non-combustible products.

His analysis estimated that if half of adult smokers in the country moved to such alternatives, healthcare and productivity costs linked to tobacco-related illness could fall by about $3.4 billion annually, or roughly 0.87% of gross domestic product.