Emma Rumney
ATHENS – Three major Chinese e-cigarette companies are researching nicotine-like chemicals that could be used as a nicotine substitute in e-cigarettes and other products, company executives said, but their health effects may still require “years” of study.
One such chemical, 6-methylnicotine, is made in a lab and has a similar chemical structure to nicotine and is already used in some e-cigarettes in the U.S. But regulators and researchers have warned that 6-methylnicotine may be more powerful and addictive than nicotine itself.
E-liquid makers Hansen International Group and Zinwe Biotech, as well as Smoor International, a major contract manufacturer of e-cigarettes and other smoking alternatives for major tobacco companies, said more research was needed to determine whether the chemicals were safe.
“Smoor is in no rush,” company director Eve Wang told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday, adding that a small team at Smoor was working to understand the action and effects of the chemicals, known as nicotine analogues.
“It should be treated like a drug to really understand the health effects before it’s commercialized. I think that will require years of research,” she said.
Yu Kang, director of Hansen International Laboratories, and Haley Xu, global communications director at Jinwee Biotech, said their companies are also researching such chemicals.
“We need to be very cautious and carefully evaluate whether and how we use them,” Kan said at the 2024 Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum (GTNF) conference in Athens, Greece.
Hansen International was looking at about 10 different nicotine analogues, including 6-methylnicotine, she said.
Xu added that Jinwi is also researching more than 10 types of similar substances and will ensure the safety of any nicotine analogue products before releasing them.
(Reporting by Emma Rumney in Athens; Editing by Ross Russell)
