PinneyAssociates and Subsidiary Enter into Product Development and Consulting Agreements with Subsidiaries of Reynolds American Inc.

News provided by

Feb 19, 2015, 03:00 ET

BETHESDA, Md., Feb. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- PinneyAssociates and its affiliate, JSR, LLC, announced today they have entered into agreements with Niconovum USA and other subsidiaries of Reynolds American Inc., including R. J. Reynolds Vapor Company, on products, regulations, and policies related to smoking cessation and harm minimization.

"Our focus and work will be on products and policies that hold the promise of and provide a clear opportunity to minimize the death and disease from smoking conventional cigarettes," said John Pinney, CEO of PinneyAssociates and Managing Member of JSR, LLC.

"We have reached a critical intersection in the rapidly evolving field of tobacco harm minimization in terms of product development and regulation. These steps with RAI's operating companies create a path to achieve improved nicotine replacement products for smokers, and implementing policies that encourage smokers to quit or use products that do not burn tobacco," said Pinney.

Niconovum USA has purchased an option from JSR, LLC for patented nicotine replacement therapy product technology and will partner with the group on development of gum and other formats.

"PinneyAssociates will not engage in any consulting on combustible conventional cigarettes because, as even the CEO of Reynolds American has acknowledged (http://for.tn/1wHuyIE), cigarettes are the cause of the overwhelming majority of tobacco-caused death and disease," Pinney said.

"Our overriding objective is to minimize the death and disease caused by conventional cigarette smoking as quickly as possible, and we believe we have a powerful opportunity to advance this objective with these new relationships," he said.

Pinney said that Reynolds' express intent, capacity, and commitment to transform the current tobacco and nicotine marketplace were critical elements to the decision.

"We believe the best choice is to never start smoking. We also believe there is both opportunity and imperative to minimize harm, including promoting alternatives that deliver nicotine without the smoke," said Pinney.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140218/NE67404LOGO

SOURCE PinneyAssociates