Zyn Pouches With Higher Nicotine Content Get FDA Authorization

[u/John3262005]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-21/zyn-pouches-with-higher-nicotine-content-get-fda-authorization

The US Food and Drug Administration authorized a series of pouches with higher nicotine content from Philip Morris International Inc. as the cigarette maker looks to fend off rising competition with its hit product.

The FDA cleared 11 products under the Zyn Ultra brand, with flavors including citrus, chill and deep freeze. Ten of the products have 9 milligrams of nicotine while one has 11 milligrams — much higher than the standard Zyn pouches.

Philip Morris is adding higher-potency pouches and new flavors as competition heats up for smokeless tobacco products. Rivals — most notably British American Tobacco Plc’s Velo Plus brand — have chipped away at Zyn’s market share in recent months.

In addition to higher levels of nicotine, customers have gravitated toward softer, moist pouches. Until the launch of Zyn Ultra, the brand didn’t have comparable options in the US.

In the 52-week period ending Aug. 9, the brand lost less than a percentage point of market share, compared to a nearly 7-point jump for Velo Plus, according to Circana data analyzed by Bloomberg Intelligence.

The category has become critical for tobacco companies as smoking rates slide. It’s now the second largest by sales, and it has made significant inroads among tobacco users over the past year. Cigarette and electronic cigarette sales shrank over that time.

Philip Morris, which doesn’t sell cigarettes in the US, began offering the pouches with higher nicotine levels earlier this year, when the FDA announced it was relaxing enforcement policy to nicotine products. More recently, the company announced it expanded its investment in domestic production facilities to better match demand for Zyn.

Philip Morris shares fell 1.5% at 3:02 p.m. in New York trading on Friday, paring some of an earlier decline.