As Philip Morris looks to expand its heat-not-burn tobacco product, the IQOS, into new markets, Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration has rejected their application requesting the legalization of the sale of nicotine in tobacco prepared and packed for heating.

While tobacco can be purchased in Australia, a country where it is very heavily taxed, it can only be purchased for smoking, not heating. The distinction there is important because PMI’s IQOS is designed to heat tobacco, not burn it.

Heat-not-burn (HNB) products such as the IQOS, which has become popular in some countries, are similar to vaping devices such as e-cigarettes in that they do not use combustion to create smoke, but instead heat the substances that they use to the point at which an aerosol or vapor is produced. However, unlike e-cigs, heat-not-burn devices use actual tobacco, whereas e-cigarettes use e-liquid. Unlike tobacco, e-liquid can be purchased without any nicotine – this is known as nicotine-free or 0mg nic e-liquid.

It is said that HNB devices reduce the number and levels of harmful chemicals in comparison to the smoke produced by cigarettes.

Australia has taken a strong stance on tobacco and nicotine products over the years, resulting in some of the highest prices on cigarettes anywhere in the world.

Earlier this year, the Australian Government moved to ban the importation of nicotine for e-cigarettes, but quickly backed down and delayed the ban when faced with opposition from not only the vaping industry and individuals but also from Australian politicians.

Currently, the country’s ban on nicotine vape liquid imports is scheduled to go into effect on January 1, 2021. Until then, Australian vapers can continue to import nicotine vape juice for personal use, which remains a common practice among adult vapers in the country who are using e-cigarettes to quit smoking.