The tenth meeting of the WHO Study Group on Tobacco Product Regulation

28 September – 2 October 2020
Virtual meeting

Overview

The tenth meeting of the WHO Study Group on Tobacco Product Regulation (TobReg) provided a forum for scientists to deliberate on and update knowledge on issues pertinent to public health in the area of tobacco product regulation. The meeting focused on the attractiveness, toxicity, appeal, variation, marketing, health effects and regulation of novel and emerging nicotine and tobacco products, with a focus on HTPs. It specifically addressed the request in paragraph 2a of Decision FCTC/COP8(22) of the Conference of Parties (COP) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) at its eighth session. The following papers were discussed:

  • Toxicants in HTPs, exposure, health effects and claims of reduced risk.
  • The attractiveness and addictive potential of HTPs: effects on perception and use and associated effects.
  • Variations among HTPs, considerations and implications.
  • Use of HTPs: product switching and dual or poly product use.
  • Regulations on HTPs, ENDS and ENNDS, with country approaches, barriers to regulation and regulatory considerations.
  • Estimation of exposure to nicotine from use of ENDS and from conventional cigarettes.
  • Exploration of methods for quantifying individual risks associated with ENDS, ENNDS and HTPs: impact on population health and implications for regulation.
  • Flavours in novel and emerging nicotine and tobacco products.
  • Global marketing and promotion of novel and emerging nicotine and tobacco products and their impacts.
  • Forms of nicotine in tobacco plants, chemical modifications, and implications for ENDS products.
  • EVALI: “e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury.”

It was a closed meeting for TobReg members, invited subject matter experts and WHO Staff. The meeting is part of the process of crafting documents for presentation at the ninth session of the COP. The resulting TobReg recommendations were compiled into the eighth technical report series (TRS) of the study group, which was presented to the WHO Executive Board at its 148th session. The recommendations in this report will guide Member States in achieving the most effective and evidence-based means to bridge regulatory gaps in tobacco control, develop coordinated regulatory framework for tobacco products, guide international policy and provide access to scientific information.

The tenth meeting of TobReg took place virtually from 28 September – 2 October 2020 but was coordinated from WHO Headquarters, in Geneva