Broughton to open dedicated heated tobacco testing facility

To meet growing customer demand, scientific consultancy and testing specialist Broughton will open a dedicated facility for heated tobacco products (HTPs) at its Oak Tree House site in Lancashire. The dedicated space will allow Broughton to further assist manufacturers with a fully-integrated HTP service, from the testing and characterisation of products through to toxicology and regulatory submission support.

To bring HTPs to market efficiently, manufacturers must have a detailed understanding of the product to ensure it complies with regulatory standards and safety guidance while appealing to adult smokers. Broughton’s HTP facility will house new testing equipment, such as conditioning cabinets, smoke engines, and analytical equipment. The facility will provide a dedicated area for Broughton’s specialists across analytical testing, product development, regulatory submission, and post-market surveillance.

Broughton can test a HTP for a specific suite of harmful and potentially harmful constituents (HPHCs), based on the PMI-58 and regulatory required analytes to ensure there are no major toxicological concerns. Its team will also conduct paper-based toxicology assessments to confirm the absence of any other ingredients or materials of high concern.

“Heated tobacco is an area of growing interest in the next-generation nicotine market, as it’s widely accepted that most of the toxicants associated with combustible cigarettes are caused by the burning of tobacco,” said Chris Allen, CEO of Broughton. “Developing and commercialising heated tobacco products can offer smokers a reduced-risk alternative — the device heats sufficiently to release nicotine, but not high enough for combustion.”

“Understanding the potentially harmful chemicals and the toxicological impact of a nicotine product is essential for marketing authorisation,” said Malcolm Saxton, Senior Consultant at Broughton. “Our new facility will aid our provision of accredited, accurate, and flexible testing for all stages of HTP product development.”

“If potential risk areas or unexpected results are uncovered, our highly experienced scientific consultants are on-hand to help analyse test data and troubleshoot alongside their customer’s in-house team,” added Saxton.

Broughton’s experienced team is highly skilled in developing and validating analytical methods to meet global regulatory requirements across a range of next-generation nicotine products. Over the past few years, the company has supported clients with scientific and regulatory services for several successful PMTA, TPD/TRPR, and MAA applications for a wide range of next-generation products. Its in-house laboratory testing facilities are GMP compliant and ISO/IEC 17025 accredited.

Are you looking to bring a heated tobacco product to market? For help with product design, testing or regulatory approval, visit our website.