Altria Stops Selling NJOY Ace E-Cigarettes in Patent Dispute With Juul

Tobacco giant Altria Group has stopped selling its NJOY Ace e-cigarettes, after the U.S. International Trade Commission sided with rival Juul Labs in a patent dispute. Consumers can still buy them in stores until retailers' existing inventory runs out.

The ruling was a setback for Altria, which in 2023 divested its investment in Juul and agreed to buy NJOY for at least $2.75 billion. Juul then filed a complaint with the ITC, alleging that the NJOY Ace infringed on its patents. The ITC in January ordered Altria to stop importing, distributing and marketing the devices by March 31. Shares of Altria were down about 2% in midday trading Tuesday.

Among the NJOY products removed from the market is the only menthol vaping product authorized for sale in the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration. Altria Chief Executive Billy Gifford, on a January conference call with analysts, said the ITC's decision limits consumers' choices and "undermines public health, especially in context of a market that is overrun by illicit products."

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