22nd Century Group (XXII) Adds 1,200 Drug Store Locations Selling VLN® in Five States
12 September 2023 - 1:00PM
22nd Century Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: XXII), a leading biotechnology
company focused on utilizing advanced plant technologies to improve
health and wellness with reduced nicotine tobacco, hemp/cannabis
and hops, today announced its FDA authorized VLN® reduced nicotine
content cigarettes designed specifically to promote tobacco harm
reduction are now available at more than 1,200 drug store locations
across Texas, Florida, Illinois, North Carolina and Georgia
beginning in September. With this most recent addition, VLN® is
available in more than 4,000 stores across 16 states, compared with
approximately 1,100 stores at July 1.
“We are excited to launch the first drug store
chain selling our FDA authorized VLN® tobacco harm reduction
products, adding 1,200 stores across five key state markets to our
growing roster of convenience store points of sale,” stated John
Miller, interim Chief Executive Officer of 22nd Century Group.
“VLN® offers a new, clinically researched solution helping adult
smokers reduce their smoking rate and the associated harms of
smoking over time.”
“VLN® users continue to report an overwhelmingly
positive experience in our market research, and most say it has
helped them reduce consumption of their regular cigarette brand,”
said Miller. “Research with VLN® users indicates that while most
non-prescription methods of quitting or reducing smoking are
strongly disliked, more than 75% of VLN users say they like their
experience with the product. As a result of using VLN, 80% of adult
consumers report a reduction in usage of their regular brand, and
many want to share their positive experience with other adult
smokers.”
VLN® is the first and only FDA authorized
combustible cigarette labelled as a tobacco harm reduction product.
As demonstrated by leading independent scientists and reviewed
by the FDA, reducing the nicotine level in cigarettes has the
potential to substantially reduce the enormous burden of
smoking-related death and disease. It is estimated that a nicotine
product standard to a level that is 95% less than the level of
nicotine contained in U.S. conventional cigarettes could save
millions of lives and tens of millions of life-years over the next
several decades.
“We continue to move ahead with a growing
pipeline of VLN® retailers in multiple trade classes including
c-store, mass market and drugstore chains that are interested in
helping their customers adopt a healthier lifestyle,” said Miller.
“Those interested in trying VLN® can find locations through the
Store Locator link on tryvln.com, which is updated regularly as we
continue to expand access to VLN® products in new states and retail
chains.”
Market Data and
Additional VLN® Background22nd Century’s
distribution agreements with the top U.S. C-Store products
distributors, plus a growing list of regional distribution, provide
solutions for convenience stores, mass merchants and drug stores
seeking to carry the Company’s revolutionary VLN® reduced nicotine
content cigarettes.
22nd Century Group’s VLN® brand cigarettes are
the first and only combustible cigarettes that the FDA has
authorized as Modified Risk Tobacco Products (MRTP). The Company’s
VLN® King and VLN® Menthol King contain 95% less nicotine than
traditional addictive cigarettes, a level considered to be
minimally or non-addictive. Reduced nicotine content cigarettes,
such as VLN®, have been studied extensively by federal health
agencies, documenting their ability to help smokers smoke less. To
inform adult smokers of the product’s distinctive purpose, the FDA
requires 22nd Century to include the statement “Helps You Smoke
Less” on every package of VLN® sold.
About 22nd Century Group,
Inc.22nd Century Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: XXII) is a
leading agricultural biotechnology company focused on tobacco harm
reduction, reduced nicotine tobacco and improving health and
wellness through plant science. With dozens of patents allowing it
to control nicotine biosynthesis in the tobacco plant, the Company
has developed proprietary reduced nicotine content (RNC) tobacco
plants and cigarettes, which have become the cornerstone of
the FDA’s Comprehensive Plan to address the widespread
death and disease caused by smoking. The Company received the first
and only FDA Modified Risk Tobacco Product (MRTP) authorization for
a combustible cigarette in December 2021. In tobacco, hemp/cannabis
and hop plants, 22nd Century uses modern plant breeding
technologies, including genetic engineering, gene-editing, and
molecular breeding to deliver solutions for the life science and
consumer products industries by creating new, proprietary plants
with optimized alkaloid and flavonoid profiles as well as improved
yields and valuable agronomic traits.
Learn more at xxiicentury.com, on Twitter,
on LinkedIn, and on YouTube.
Learn more about
VLN® at tryvln.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding
Forward-Looking StatementsExcept for historical
information, all of the statements, expectations, and assumptions
contained in this press release are forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements typically contain terms such as
“anticipate,” “believe,” “consider,” “continue,” “could,”
“estimate,” “expect,” “explore,” “foresee,” “goal,” “guidance,”
“intend,” “likely,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,”
“preliminary,” “probable,” “project,” “promising,” “seek,”
“should,” “will,” “would,” and similar expressions. Actual results
might differ materially from those explicit or implicit in
forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause
actual results to differ materially are set forth in “Risk Factors”
in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 9, 2023.
All information provided in this release is as of the date hereof,
and the Company assumes no obligation to and does not intend to
update these forward-looking statements, except as required by
law.
Investor Relations & Media ContactMatt
KrepsInvestor Relations22nd Century
Groupmkreps@xxiicentury.com214-597-8200
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