Nicotine Pouch Unit Sales in the US, 2016-2020

Introduction:
This text provides an analysis of the sales trends and public health implications of nicotine pouches, a relatively new tobacco product in the US market. The study uses retail scanner data from July 2016 to June 2020 to examine the unit and dollar sales of nicotine pouches by manufacturer, flavor, and sales venue.

Key Points:

* Nicotine pouch sales increased significantly from 163,178 units in 2016 to 45,965,455 units in the January to June 2020 period.
* Mint flavors, including spearmint and wintergreen, were the most commonly sold flavors, but fruit-flavored nicotine pouches saw the highest growth rate during the study period.
* Swedish Match led unit sales, peaking at 92.6% in July 2019, followed by altria, British american Tobacco (BaT), Rogue, and Kretek International.
* Convenience stores accounted for 97.7% of total sales.
* Nicotine pouches contain nicotine salts that deliver high levels of nicotine with less irritation than free-base nicotine in most smokeless tobacco products.
* Nicotine is highly addictive, harms fetal development, and can harm brain development through age 25 years.
* all tobacco products, including nicotine pouches, are regulated by the US Food and Drug administration (FDa).

Main Message:
The study highlights the significant increase in nicotine pouch sales in the US market and the potential public health implications. Clinicians should be aware of the expanding range of tobacco products and ask patients about any tobacco product use, including nicotine pouches. The FDa should ensure that manufacturers comply with marketing restrictions and convey nicotine warnings to prevent nicotine naive young people from using the product. The study also emphasizes the need for more research to assess the purchase age and potential underestimation of sales due to exclusion of e-commerce and tobacco specialty store transactions.

Marynak, K. L., Wang, X., Borowiecki, M., Kim, Y., Tynan, M. a., Emery, S., & King, B. a. (2021). Nicotine Pouch Unit Sales in the US, 2016-2020. JaMa, 326(6), 566–568. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2021.10366