Demand for Zyn nicotine pouches continued to rise even as shipments fell because of inventory adjustments in the supply chain, Philip Morris International (PMI) said in its first-quarter 2026 earnings report Wednesday.
Consumer sales of Zyn increased by more than 10% during the quarter, according to estimates from Nielsen cited by the company.
During the earnings call, Emmanuel Babeau, PMI's CFO, told investors that in the United States, “Zyn offtake volumes grew by plus-10% despite an uneven competitive landscape,” according to a transcript from financial services site AlphaSense.
Babeau said shipments fell to 155 million cans in the first quarter as the company adjusted inventory levels, a trend it had flagged previously.
With approximately 40 million cans added to inventory in first-quarter 2025, the underlying shipment base linked to consumer offtake, or demand, was around 160 million cans, he said.
“The underlying volume for this quarter were around 10% higher at approximately 175 million cans,” he said.
PMI seeks authorization for Zyn Ultra
On regulation, Babeau said the company is continuing to engage with the Food and Drug Administration as it is seeking authorization for a new product, Zyn Ultra.
The application is still under active scientific review, he said.
“The FDA's intent for the pilot program is to increase efficiency and streamline the review process, and while it has taken longer than targeted, the science supporting our application is robust and we are optimistic that we will be able to launch this product to consumers in the coming months," Babeau said.
The FDA launched a pilot program in September to speed up the review process for premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) for nicotine pouch products.
In January, the FDA issued marketing granted orders to 20 Zyn nicotine pouch products. PMI bought Zyn maker Swedish Match North America in 2022.
PMI’s global corporate headquarters are in Stamford, Connecticut.
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