From Science to Policy: Spring 2026 Conference Participation Highlights

In the first half of 2026, Altria actively contributed to the conversations at leading scientific and regulatory conferences through poster presentations and panel discussions. These engagements reflect our ongoing commitment to advancing the science of smoke-free products, correcting misperceptions about nicotine, and supporting a science-based regulatory framework to accelerate tobacco harm reduction.

Sharing Scientific Evidence

At the Society of Toxicology (SOT) Annual Meeting, Altria scientists shared posters advancing the methods and tools used to evaluate the exposure, safety, and biological effects of smoke-free products, including:

 

• Dosimetry Models of Inhaled Flavoring Compounds in ENDS Aerosols and Estimation of Tissue Concentrations in the Mouse and Human Respiratory Tracts
• Clinically Relevant Doses for ENDS and Heated Tobacco Product In Vitro Testing
• Comparative In Vitro Toxicological Assessment of ENDS Systems
• Estimation of Human Equivalent Doses for Flavoring Compounds in ENDS Aerosols from In Vivo and In Vitro Points of Departure 
• Developing a Repeated Exposure Regimen Using a Buccal Epithelium-Fibroblast Tissue Model

 

At ISPOR 2026, Altria scientists presented research evaluating the use of unstructured electronic health record (EHR) clinical notes as a source of real-world evidence on tobacco and nicotine product use. An analysis of 4.4 million patients and 66.1 million clinical notes found extensive and growing documentation of ENDS use, suggesting these data may support robust studies of the health impacts of ENDS when combined with other real-world data sources. The study also found that documentation of nicotine pouch use remained very limited, highlighting opportunities for more standardized and consistent recording practices.

• Documentation of ENDS, Nicotine Pouch, & Combustible Tobacco Product Use in Electronic Health Record Clinical Notes

At the 2026 Nicotine & Tobacco Science Conference, Mohamadi Sarkar highlighted the diversity of dual-use behaviors and the importance of segmenting users by smoking intensity and product use patterns. The research demonstrated how combining biomarker data with detailed cigarette consumption measures can improve understanding of exposure and risk, while reinforcing that complete switching away from cigarettes offers the greatest potential for disease-risk reduction.

• Role of Smoke-free Products in Smoking Cessation

Engaging in Regulatory & Policy Dialogue

From product pathways to public health communications, Altria leaders joined public health leaders, regulators, and industry stakeholders at several leading conferences to discuss opportunities and challenges in advancing tobacco harm reduction.

 

• At the American Tobacco & Nicotine Forum (ATNF), we shared perspectives on the nicotine pouch pilot program, opportunities to improve the PMTA pathway, and solutions to correcting nicotine and relative risk misperceptions that are inhibiting harm reduction.
• At FDLI’s Annual Conference, members of our team joined panels to discuss the intersection of science, regulation, and communication, with insights on ways to apply learnings from recent nicotine pouch pilot program to achieve more and faster authorizations of reduced risk products and translating nicotine science for broader audiences so they have the truthful and accurate information to which they are entitled.
• At the Global Forum on Nicotine, one of our population science experts explained how prohibition-focused policies have unintended consequences and often fail to achieve their stated policy objectives. The available evidence suggests that flavored tobacco restrictions have had limited effects on smoking and cessation outcomes among both adults and youth. Studies further document continued access to banned products through illicit and cross-border channels, highlighting potential challenges to policy effectiveness.
  • Evaluating the Impact of Flavor Tobacco Bans in the United States