22nd Century Group Installs State-of-the-Art Nicotine Testing Equipment to Enhance VLN® Production

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[{"type":"text","content":"Investment in New Lab Capabilities Will Reduce Testing Costs by 90% and Improve Turnaround Time from Weeks to Hours\nBUFFALO, N.Y., May 05, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 22nd Century Group, Inc. (NYSE American: XXII), a leading plant-based biotechnology company focused on tobacco harm reduction, reduced nicotine tobacco, and hemp/cannabis research, announced today that it is advancing and expanding capabilities in its in-house laboratory, located in its cigarette manufacturing facility in Mocksville, North Carolina, for testing of its VLN® reduced nicotine content (RNC) tobacco and cigarettes. The Company estimates that its cost per VLN® sample will improve by more than 90% and the lead time for key data will take less than a day compared to using a third-party testing service that can take weeks. “This is an important investment and milestone for 22nd Century, as it is imperative to the launch of VLN® and the future of the organization that we have the ability to rapidly conduct high-precision analysis of our own products at higher testing volumes,” says James A. Mish, chief executive officer of 22nd Century Group. “With these expanded capabilities in place, we have a fully integrated business unit, able to monitor and control the results from growing, blending, and manufacturing of our reduced nicotine content cigarettes. In addition, by having the entire testing process managed within 22nd Century, it will improve testing consistency and give us greater ability to manage product quality in-house. By making this investment now, we will be well-positioned for the FDA’s authorization of our Modified Risk Tobacco Product (MRTP) application to market our VLN® cigarettes to the public.” 22nd Century now has the same lab testing equipment and capabilities as outside facilities. The Company is also working toward receiving ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation, which grants international recognition of an organization’s commitment to quality, competency, and reliable results. This accreditation demonstrates to customers and industry that 22nd Century has the technical competence to provide reliable and accurate test results even at the lowest nicotine levels. The new laboratory is starting operations at an opportune time, as earlier this year 22nd Century announced that it has significantly expanded its tobacco growing program to support the antici...

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