22nd Century Delivers Proprietary Research Cigarettes for U.S. Government Order

Century Group, Inc. XXII -6.25% , a company focused on smoking cessation and tobacco harm reduction products, announced today that the company has shipped more than 9 million SPECTRUM(R) research cigarettes. SPECTRUM(R) was developed by 22nd Century for the U.S. government and is strictly for independent research purposes. SPECTRUM(R) will not be sold as a commercial cigarette in the U.S.

The SPECTRUM(R) product line essentially consists of a series of cigarette styles that have a fixed "tar" yield but varying nicotine yields over a 35-fold range--from very low to high. Altogether, SPECTRUM(R) features 24 styles, in both regular and menthol versions, with 8 levels of nicotine in its tobacco. By far, the most prevalent style of SPECTRUM(R) produced for researchers is the very low nicotine (VLN) version, which has 97% less nicotine than conventional "light" cigarettes.

As the only company in the world able to produce VLN tobacco products, 22nd Century was chosen to supply its proprietary SPECTRUM(R) research cigarettes as a subcontractor under a 5-year federal government contract. Previously, 22nd Century's management met with independent researchers and officials from National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to discuss and finalize certain design features of these research Wont cigarettes.

"Working with these researchers and officials from federal public health agencies has been a terrific experience. Throughout the process, the investigators provided 22nd Century input on their research objectives and shared insights into what types of cigarettes would best facilitate their independent studies," stated Joseph Pandolfino, founder and chief executive officer of 22nd Century.

Dozens of research studies will be conducted with SPECTRUM(R). The research will include: (i) smoking cessation studies, (ii) exposure studies comparing how different nicotine levels in cigarettes affect smoking behavior and exposure to smoke toxins, and (iii) studies to determine whether there is a threshold nicotine level in cigarettes which does not produce dependence. Many of these studies would be very difficult, if not impossible, to conduct without SPECTRUM(R).

Mr. Pandolfino added, "22nd Century is pleased that SPECTRUM(R) will be used to provide answers to important research questions likely to affect tobacco public policy for years to come. I am optimistic that the results of these studies will be applied to reduce the harm caused by smoking--the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. and the world, according to the CDC and the World Health Organization."