Voke Croaks and Goes Up In Financial Smoke!
Vaping alternative Voke has gone broke and called in the administrators.
The UK based company had pinned its hopes on the nicotine inhaler going down the GP prescription route.
However, investors have been burned as the Voke owners, Kind Retail, announced its fund raising goal of £36 million of investment had er gone up in smoke.
All might not be lost, as it’s been revealed the brand has been sold for £1.6 million to OBG Consumer Scientific…more on that in a moment.
I’ve reviewed the Voke device and wasn’t at all impressed.
It was way overpriced – the nicotine levels were far too low and you lost more ‘juice‘ filling the bloody thing than you ‘vaped‘.
The Voke team’s marketing strategy was also called into question.
At it’s launch, the company linked vaping on nicotine e-liquids to EVALI – and were quite rightly smacked down by the New Nicotine Alliance.
I covered this in the article: Is VOKE ‘Exploiting’ EVALI Deaths For Money?
Indeed the NNA was furious writing:
It has come to our attention that Kind Consumer – the company behind medicinally licensed smoking cessation device, Voke – is exploiting deaths attributable to black market THC liquids in the USA to promote its product.
A slide presentation to investors by the company made the claim that Voke is preferable to e-cigarettes because there have been “numerous recent cases of lung disease and death in individuals who use vape products”.
This is completely untrue of legal vaping products and we unreservedly condemn their approach.
…It is sad to see Kind Consumer endorsing such a shabby business model and we hope that they will ensure that it is not pursued any longer.
Voke almost immediately capitulated and pulled the offending fake info – but the PR damage had already been done.
Whilst it’s always sad to see a company go bust [mostly] in this case Karma seems to have played a hand.
Saying that, the device is not dead yet.
As I’ve already mentioned, Voke has been sold to OBG Consumer Scientific, a subsidiary of Pharmaserve.
That company describes itself as:
…an expert contract developer and manufacturer specialising in respiratory products
The company’s products include nasal sprays and dry powder inhalers…perfect fit one might say.
Also under the Pharmaserve umbrella is JM Loveridge, a pharmaceutical wholesaler that supplies among many other chemicals, PG and VG.
Yet another subsidiary is Ayrton Saunders, and that one describes itself as:
…a speciality pharmaceutical company based in the UK focused on the development and commercialisation of aerosol based treatments and other high value niche products for international markets through collaboration and partnerships.
So it looks like we’ll be seeing the return of the Voke sometime in the future…
Wonder what odds the marketing blurb will be: The Voke Awoke…
Over 1 million Say California Flavour Ban Should Be Overturned
The California flavour ban could be over turned after over 1 million people signed a document called for a referendum.
However, pro-ban groups are now screaming many of the signatures were fake or paid for.
All this fake voting malarkey seems to be quite the thing over in the USA right now…
Anyway, the flavoured tobacco and nicotine products ban was signed into law back in the 2019-20 Legislative Session.
The campaign to overturn the ludicrous ban is Big Tobacco backed, namely R.J Reynolds Tobacco Company, Philip Morris USA and ITG Brands as well as a number of retailers.
Just short of 700,000 was needed to force a referendum on the flavour ban.
The California Coalition for Fairness is backing the call for a referendum and spokeswoman Beth Miller said:
In the midst of an unprecedented pandemic, raging wildfires, heatwaves and power outages across the state, more than one million Californians signed petitions for the right to have their voice heard on an unfair law that benefits the wealthy and special interests while costing jobs and cutting funding for education and healthcare.
Good to see some real advocacy action going on over the pond that’s for sure.
However given Governor Gavin Newsom’s constant far left virtue signalling track record – it’s going to be a tough fight.
Do Flavoured E-liquids Cause Heart Attacks?
Oh FFS – here we go again with the vaping causes heart attacks BS…
A new study by ‘scientists‘ from South Florida University showed that mice vaping on fruit flavours, cinnamon, and vanilla custard flavoured e-liquids, were:
…prone to abnormal and dangerous heart rhythm disturbance
Maybe the poor little bugger’s heart rate went up after being dumped in a tank and sprayed with vapour maybe?
I refer you to the article I wrote: No…Vaping Won’t Give You Lung and Bladder Cancer But It Will Kill Mice… hashtag #savethevapingmice.
Anyway, those pesky scientists keep coming at vaping via the ‘bad for your heart‘ BS and each time scientists in the know refute the outrageous claims very easily indeed:
- Heart Attack Vape Study Retracted After Scientists Uncover Flawed Data
- Vaping and Heart Health – Scientists Slam Latest Scare Study and Stories
- ‘Flawed’ Study Suggests Some E-Liquid Flavourings MAY Effect the Heart
- Study Shows Vapers Have LESS Risk Of Lung & Heart Disease
So if this anti-vape study suddenly appears in the UK mainstream media arm yourself with the true facts.
…and finally: Super Strength Nicotine and Super Heroes SEIZED In Trading Standards Swoop!
Holy super strength e-liquid Batman!!!
Was the cry from the vaped crusaders at the Wirral’s trading standards unit…
Officers roared out of their bat cave and swooped on a Merseyside shop in a raid after a tip off ‘illegal‘ nicotine strength e-liquids were being sold.
It was only during the search the crime fighters uncovered their fellow crime fighting duo Batman and Superman…
Before they could shout ‘Holy Kryptonite‘ or marvel at the sight, a quick peek under the caped crusaders underpants showed they were IMPOSTERS or in this case fake as f**k…
The magistrate was in no mood for joker-ing around either, robin the shop owner – oops sorry I mean fining him £35, costs of £2,000 and a victim surcharge of £35…I guess the drinks are on Batman and Superman tonight…
I was going to work in a pun along the lines of good to see Justice [League] being served…but I won’t…ha!
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More vape news on Wednesday
