, Oct. 26 -- Bangladesh Tobacco Control Advocates (BTCA) on Sunday expressed deep concern and strong protest over the approval granted by the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) to Philip Morris Bangladesh Limited for setting up a nicotine pouch production facility.

In a statement, BTCA said BEZA approved the project on April 27 this year, allowing the global tobacco company to produce nicotine pouches - a smokeless and highly addictive product that poses serious health risks.

The statement, signed by BTCA Convener Iqbal Masud and members Advocate Mahbubul Alam Tahin, Aminul Islam Sujon, Susanta Sinha, Syeda Anannya Rahman, Farhana Zaman Liza, Samiul Hasan Sajib, and Abu Raihan, said nicotine pouches are used by placing them insi...