Altria releases a new smoking product that contains no tobacco.
U.S. tobacco giant Altria Group Inc. moved into uncharted territory this week as it released the Verve: a tobacco-less nicotine product.
The maker of Marlboro plans to launch a non-dissolving, lozenge-shaped nicotine disc called Verve in the next several days. It’s the latest advance by Big Tobacco into experimental smokeless products amid falling sales for traditional cigarettes.
Instead of containing tobacco, the Verve will feature a mint-flavored disc that will provide nicotine extracted from the tobacco. The product will be marketed with milder health-warning labels than those on cigarettes and smokeless tobacco.