New Cigarette From Reynolds Will Heat Tobacco Instead of Burning it

A new cigarette made by tobacco giant Reynolds American will heat tobacco instead of burning it, the Associated Press reports. The product, called Revo, uses a carbon tip that heats tobacco after being lit.

Sales of Revo will begin in Wisconsin in February. The company said it is a “repositioning” of Eclipse, a cigarette it launched in the mid-1990s that has had disappointing sales.

Reynolds is trying to cash in on consumers’ growing interest in cigarette alternatives, the article notes. Unlike e-cigarettes, Revo contains real tobacco, which could make the product more attractive to cigarette smokers, said J. Brice O’Brien, who heads consumer marketing for Reynolds cigarette brands Camel and Pall Mall. According to O’Brien, Revo will cost about the same as a premium pack of regular cigarettes.

Philip Morris International, which makes Marlboro, launched a Marlboro HeatStick in Japan earlier this month. The HeatStick comes with a hollow pen-like device called iQOS. The cigarette-like sticks are heated in the iQOS to create a tobacco-flavored nicotine vapor.

Last month Reynolds American announced its employees will no longer be able to smoke cigarettes in the company’s buildings and offices starting in 2015. Use of e-cigarettes will continue to be permitted. Cigars and pipes will also be banned from employee desks, offices, conference rooms, hallways and elevators. Smoking is already prohibited in cafeterias, fitness centers and factory floors, the article notes.