A Swedish pharmaceutical company has converted its production lines from medicine to nicotine pouches, betting on a product category that's exploding among young adults — and largely unregulated outside Scandinavia.

Amplicon, based in Uppsala, has pivoted almost entirely from pharmaceutical manufacturing to producing tobacco-free nicotine pouches, per a report by SVT Nyheter. CEO Tomas Hammargren told the outlet he hopes the product "will become really big not just in Sweden, but internationally."

Why this matters

The shift comes as Swedish data shows nicotine pouch use is concentrated among younger consumers. According to an October 2023 report from CAN (the Swedish Council for Information on Alcohol and Other Drugs), tobacco-free nicotine pouches are more than three times as common among young adults compared to other age groups.

CAN's 2023 tobacco and nicotine report also found that pouch sales in Sweden have grown rapidly, with the category now representing a significant share of total nicotine consumption in the country.

Hammargren framed the product as "a safer alternative for smokers who want to quit but still want their nicotine kick," according to SVT.

The regulatory gap

Sweden is implementing rules for nicotine pouches — including warning labels, age limits, and ingredient restrictions — but most markets lack similar frameworks. Hammargren called Sweden's emerging regulations "a good framework" and said he'd "like to see it introduced in several countries."

The health risks specific to tobacco-free nicotine pouches remain unclear, SVT noted, beyond the established risks of nicotine itself.

Hammargren emphasized that the product "should not be perceived as attractive to younger people" — a statement that sits awkwardly alongside the company's expansion into a category disproportionately used by young adults.

What's next

Amplicon's international ambitions reflect broader industry momentum. Nicotine pouch manufacturers are racing to establish market share in regions with minimal regulation, while governments scramble to catch up with a product that didn't exist a decade ago.

Sweden's regulatory model — if finalized — could become a template for other markets. Or manufacturers could continue expanding in countries with no pouch-specific rules at all.

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SOURCES:

• SVT Nyheter: Vita snuset ökar bland unga – Uppsalaföretag ställde om till nikotinpåsar
• CAN (Centralförbundet för alkohol- och narkotikaupplysning): Tobacco and Nicotine Development Report 2023