22nd Century Group (XXII) Adds 1,200 Drug Store Locations Selling VLN in Five States

First Drug Store Channel Retail Chain Begins VLN Sales in September, Continues to Book Additional Launches for Rest of 2023

BUFFALO, N.Y., Sept. 12, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 22nd Century Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: XXII), a leading biotechnology company focused on utilizing advanced plant technologies to improve health and wellness with reduced nicotine tobacco, hemp/cannabis and hops, today announced its FDA authorized VLN reduced nicotine content cigarettes designed specifically to promote tobacco harm reduction are now available at more than 1,200 drug store locations across Texas, Florida, Illinois, North Carolina and Georgia beginning in September. With this most recent addition, VLN is available in more than 4,000 stores across 16 states, compared with approximately 1,100 stores at July 1.

“We are excited to launch the first drug store chain selling our FDA authorized VLN tobacco harm reduction products, adding 1,200 stores across five key state markets to our growing roster of convenience store points of sale,” stated John Miller, interim Chief Executive Officer of 22nd Century Group. “VLN offers a new, clinically researched solution helping adult smokers reduce their smoking rate and the associated harms of smoking over time.”

“VLN users continue to report an overwhelmingly positive experience in our market research, and most say it has helped them reduce consumption of their regular cigarette brand,” said Miller. “Research with VLN users indicates that while most non-prescription methods of quitting or reducing smoking are strongly disliked, more than 75% of VLN users say they like their experience with the product. As a result of using VLN, 80% of adult consumers report a reduction in usage of their regular brand, and many want to share their positive experience with other adult smokers.”

VLN is the first and only FDA authorized combustible cigarette labelled as a tobacco harm reduction product. As demonstrated by leading independent scientists and reviewed by the FDA, reducing the nicotine level in cigarettes has the potential to substantially reduce the enormous burden of smoking-related death and disease. It is estimated that a nicotine product standard to a level that is 95% less than the level of nicotine contained in U.S. conventional cigarettes could save millions of lives and tens of millions of life-years over the next several decades.