Alicante University launched Medcat Alicante with mission to commercialise tobacco with half the toxicity.

Medcat Alicante has been launched by Spain’s Alicante University to commercialise tobacco with half the toxicity of its regular peers.

Medcat is introducing an additive to tobacco that reduces nicotine levels by 70%, tar by 80%, and carbon monoxide by 25%. It is planning to both market its additive separately to be used with hand rolling tobacco, and to launch its own brand of machine-rolled cigarettes.

The Spain-based company is currently looking for investors, and hopes to bring its products to market within two years.

Antonio Marcilla, founder of Medcat, said: “The idea is to create our own brand of tobacco and market it with the product already incorporated so that the consumer directly acquires a pack of cigarettes with a significantly lower toxicity than the rest, due to the added catalyst.”