UAE: ANDS MEA, a leading company in the electronic nicotine delivery solutions and heated tobacco technology, called for enhanced collaboration between industry and governments to focus on protecting consumers through innovation, stressing that the absence of the right regulations has led to an increase in the number of combustible cigarettes users to over 1 billion across all age-groups.

At a session held in Dubai,  Fadi Maayta, Co-Founder and President, ANDS MEA , said the need is for the tobacco industry is to foster collaborations between governments, regulators, policy makers and manufactures to deliver impactful strategies that will help adult smokers to quit smoking.

Fadi highlighted the need for protecting minors, ex-smokers, and non-smokers from being exposed to the marketing practices of these products, as well as to focus on adult smokers who have shifted from cigarettes to alternative products to discourage excessive usage of nicotine.

“Innovation with the right regulations is critical to ensure the protection of adult users and other vulnerable categories. It is of strategic importance to provide better alternatives to harmful products that will affect the health of both adults and youth. Switching to alternatives is potentially less harmful based on studies and research, while we advise that the zero-risk approach is quitting all nicotine products altogether, with a priority to quit smoking combustible cigarettes” he said.

Fadi concluded the session by stating that '' ANDS MEA is committed to provide adult smokers with scientifically backed products, compliant with the technical standards and regulations accredited by the best research centers in the world, and at the same time making sure that its marketing practices and communication is bounded by its strong commitment towards protecting the vulnerable categories, especially minors''.

About ANDS MEA:

ANDS is the first entity in the region base in UAE-Dubai with the mission focused on alternative nicotine products only, in MEA. with a diverse, iconic portfolio, accompanied by the core belief that legal-age smokers are entitled to better alternatives, ANDS MEA will be part of the evolution of a new era of a cigarette-free MEA. ANDS' vision is to put the safest and most credible Nicotine Delivery Systems within reach of the 144 million adult smokers across the Middle East and Africa and its mission is to deliver the best-in-class brand distribution, staging, and communication while respecting local regulations – and to continuously adapt to the latest adult consumer trends and technologies in the field.