NicoKick Urges Acting FDA Commissioner Woodcock to Promote Greater Use of Harm Reduction Products To Help Smokers Move Away from Cigarettes

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Markus Lindblad, Head of External Affairs at NicoKick's parent company, the Haypp Group, sent a letter to Acting Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Janet Woodcock. In the letter to Acting Commissioner Woodcock, Lindblad highlighted the growth of harm reduction products in the United States and encouraged her to prioritize the goal she helped set at FDA in previous years to enable greater use of healthier harm reduction products and help smokers quit combustible products.

"Our mission at NicoKick is to drive real change in the industry and encourage alternative nicotine enjoyment for adults seeking products other than inhalants," Linblad wrote. "We recognize that your focus is understandably on addressing the coronavirus pandemic, but we hope as you lead the Food and Drug Administration that you continue to prioritize tobacco-harm reduction products that will produce better health outcomes for millions of American smokers. We can all agree any effort to transition from traditional tobacco products to those that reduce harm to the consumer should be supported and would be an important win for public health." 

NicoKick is the world's largest American e-commerce company in the smokeless industry. As users move away from traditional tobacco products toward healthier smokeless options, NicoKick's sales have increased throughout the United States because of their local expertise and convenience to customers. The site is quickly becoming a one-stop shop for consumers interested in learning more about and purchasing smokeless tobacco products.

The full text of the letter may be found below:

January 29, 2021

Hon. Janet Woodcock
Acting Food and Drug Administration Commissioner 
Food and Drug Administration
10903 New Hampshire Ave
Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002

Dear Acting Commissioner Woodcock:

We are writing to urge you to prioritize a common goal you established in your previous role at the FDA: "to enable greater use of safe and effective options to help those who are addicted to nicotine get the help they need to quit combustible cigarettes altogether." 

Federal tobacco policy should be focused on promoting and ensuring tobacco harm reduction products are available for the 34.1 million adult smokers in the United States. The FDA made the right decision to create a modified risk tobacco product (MRTP) designation so consumers can know when a nicotine product is a healthier alternative to traditional cigarettes, and we hope the MRTP process remains in place. It sets an appropriately high, scientific standard for products to obtain this designation, and it is crucial that these products are made available to consumers - and that consumers should be made aware of the health benefits of transitioning from combustible cigarettes to these products. 

Thankfully, many adult consumers in the U.S. are already experiencing healthier lives as a result of harm reduction products being readily available. Tobacco-free nicotine pouches are one of the fastest growing smokeless products on the market today, and our company NicoKick has seen incredible growth as we continue to rapidly expand into the U.S. market. On average, NicoKick sold 80,000 cans per month in 2019, compared with nearly 400,000 cans per month in the months of April and May 2020.

Tobacco-free nicotine pouches not only eliminate the harmful carcinogens that smokers inhale when they use combustible cigarettes, they also have the added potential of producing "accidental quitters," or smokers who are experimenting with an alternative nicotine product for other reasons than to quit smoking, but who as a result of this experimentation end up quitting smoking. This is why it is critical that a variety of these products remain on the market and available to adult smokers. 

Our mission at NicoKick is to drive real change in the industry and encourage alternative nicotine enjoyment for adults seeking products other than inhalants. We recognize that your focus is understandably on addressing the coronavirus pandemic, but we hope as you lead the Food and Drug Administration that you continue to prioritize tobacco-harm reduction products that will produce better health outcomes for millions of American smokers. We can all agree any effort to transition from traditional tobacco products to those that reduce harm to the consumer should be supported and would be an important win for public health. 

Sincerely, 

Markus Lindblad 
Head of External Affairs, Haypp Group

SOURCE NicoKick