Marlboro maker Altria has swapped its minority stake in Juul Labs for mental property rights to a few of the e-cigarette firm’s heated tobacco prototypes, ending an funding which plummeted in worth from $12.8bn simply over 4 years in the past following regulatory and authorized setbacks.

The Virginia-based cigarette maker mentioned in a press release after market shut on Friday that it had exchanged its 35 per cent stake in Juul for a “non-exclusive, irrevocable international license” for a few of Juul’s heated tobacco mental property. Regardless of years of labor growing a heated tobacco system, Juul by no means launched a heat-not-burn product.

Altria’s determination to exit its funding comes after Juul reached a pricey settlement for five,000 lawsuits alleging that Juul fuelled a teenage “vaping epidemic” and the US Meals and Drug Administration banned Juul’s merchandise as a part of its sweeping evaluate of 6.7mn e-cigarette merchandise.

On the finish of final yr Altria valued its Juul stake at simply $250mn, a 98 per cent writedown on the valuation when it purchased into the corporate in December 2018.

Billy Gifford, Altria chief government, mentioned the transfer was the “applicable path ahead for our enterprise”. In a second bid to crack the vaping market, Altria is engaged on a $2.75bn deal to purchase e-cigarette firm NJOY, which in contrast to Juul has obtained approval from the FDA for a few of its merchandise, in accordance with two individuals acquainted with the matter.

“Juul faces vital regulatory and authorized challenges and uncertainties, a lot of which may exist for a few years,” mentioned Gifford. Regardless of the FDA ban, Juul’s merchandise stay on cabinets after a US appeals court docket positioned a keep on the choice and the regulator launched an extra evaluate.

Gifford mentioned Altria was “persevering with to discover all choices for a way we are able to greatest compete within the e-vapor class”. Final yr, Altria ended its non-compete settlement with Juul and launched a three way partnership with Japan Tobacco targeted on heated tobacco merchandise.

An individual near Altria acknowledged that the IP rights could by no means be developed into a totally fledged product, declaring that the “know-how . . . may or couldn’t doubtlessly turn out to be a part of the corporate’s product pipeline”.

Juul argued in a press release that Altria’s determination to divest its shares gave it “full strategic freedom” over the way forward for the corporate, liberating it up “to pursue different strategic alternatives and partnerships”.

Juul executives have sounded out tobacco corporations together with Japan Tobacco and Philip Morris Worldwide in current months a few attainable funding, sale or licensing settlement, in accordance with individuals briefed on the talks who mentioned potential buyers had been nonetheless cautious of the remaining authorized and regulatory dangers.

“We’re free to benefit from a variety of choices to maximise the worth of our firm whereas we proceed to advance our main product know-how and innovation pipeline,” mentioned Juul. If Altria had retained its Juul stake, it will have been capable of affect the phrases of any sale or funding, and probably even block a take care of a rival firm.

Juul secured new funding from two current buyers final November however has been pressured to chop jobs to protect money because it seeks to avert a mooted Chapter 11 chapter submitting.