22nd Century Group Reports Third Quarter 2025 Financial Results

Significant Balance Sheet Improvement - Debt Free, Receives $9.5 Million in Non-Dilutive Cash

VLN ® and Partner VLN ® Launches Underway, Rapidly Expanding Store Counts and Availability

MOCKSVILLE, N.C., Nov. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 22nd Century Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: XXII), the only tobacco products company that has for 27 years led and continues to lead the fight against the harms of smoking driven by nicotine addiction, today announced results for the third quarter-ended September 30, 2025, and provided an update on recent business highlights.

“The third quarter represents the launch point for a full pivot to a branded products strategy that will drive our future. Multiple brands of our VLN ® products are now available for purchase, our store count is increasing every month, and we are securing new distribution agreements to expand our reach.

“As the leader in the Tobacco Harm Reduction Movement, we believe that all tobacco companies should complement their full nicotine products with a set of low nicotine products within their brand families. Our technology roadmap makes this possible, with short time to market and at any scale required, through both Partner VLN ® and licensing capabilities, allowing every tobacco company to become fully aligned with the FDA’s Low Nicotine Mandate instead of resisting. By doing so, tobacco companies can for the first time truly deliver on their claims of supporting tobacco harm reduction efforts. As important, smoking consumers can access a new way to change in their smoking habit with a form factor that they are accustomed to, the combustible cigarette, but without the highly addictive nicotine that drives addiction,” said Larry Firestone, CEO of 22nd Century Group.

“Additionally, we are now in the best financial position of the past two years and have begun the growth phase of our company. With the $9.5 million settlement of our prior insurance claims from the Grass Valley facility fire in 2022 and a debt free balance sheet, we now have a well-funded cash position on which to build the market, both directly and in partnership with our growing list of brand partners adopting VLN ® based products. We have recently announced further expansion of both state authorizations and store counts across our VLN ® based products, with stocking orders underway now to support our continued expansion.”

“We are also exploring other ways to bring VLN ® based products to the forefront of the industry and make low nicotine a fundamental part of the fabric of the tobacco industry.”

Third Quarter 2025 Financial Results (compared to Second Quarter 2025, except as noted)

All figures reported below reflect continuing operations, excluding discontinued operations related to the sale and exit of the Company’s hemp/cannabis business in late 2023, except as noted.

Recent Business Highlights

Third Quarter 2025 Product Line Net Revenues

Balance Sheet

Conference Call

22nd Century will host a live webcast today at 8:00 a.m. E.T. to discuss its third quarter 2025 financial results and business highlights. The live and archived webcast will be accessible in the Events section on 22nd Century’s Investor Relations website at https://ir.xxiicentury.com/events.

Summary Financial Results

(dollars in thousands, except per share data)

(a) Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure. Please see “Notes Regarding Non-GAAP Financial Information” for additional information regarding our use of non-GAAP financial measures. Refer to Tables A at the end of this release for reconciliations of adjusted amounts to the closest corresponding GAAP financial measures.

Summary Product Line Results

(in thousands)

About 22nd Century Group, Inc.

22nd Century Group is pioneering the tobacco harm reduction movement by enabling smokers to take control of their nicotine consumption.

Our Technology is Tobacco

Our proprietary non-GMO reduced nicotine tobacco plants were developed using our patented technologies that regulate alkaloid biosynthesis activities resulting in a tobacco plant that contains 95% less nicotine than traditional tobacco plants. Our extensive patent portfolio has been developed to ensure that our high-quality tobacco can be grown commercially at scale. We continue to develop our intellectual property to ensure our ongoing leadership in the tobacco harm reduction movement.

Our Products

We created our flagship product, the VLN ® cigarette using our low nicotine tobacco, to give traditional cigarette smokers an authentic and familiar alternative in the form of a combustible cigarette that helps them take control of their nicotine consumption. VLN ® cigarettes have 95% less nicotine compared to traditional cigarettes and have been proven to allow consumers to greatly reduce their nicotine consumption.

VLN ® and Helps You Smoke Less ® are registered trademarks of 22nd Century Limited LLC.

Learn more at xxiicentury.com, on X (formerly Twitter), on LinkedIn, and on YouTube.

Learn more about VLN ® at tryvln.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations, and assumptions contained in this press release are forward-looking statements, including but not limited to our full year business outlook. Forward-looking statements typically contain terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “consider,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “explore,” “foresee,” “goal,” “guidance,” “intend,” “likely,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “preliminary,” “probable,” “project,” “promising,” “seek,” “should,” “will,” “would,” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding (i) our cost reduction initiatives, (ii) our expectations regarding regulatory enforcement, including our ability to receive an exemption from new regulations, and (iii) our financial and operating performance. Actual results might differ materially from those explicit or implicit in forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are set forth in “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 20, 2025 and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q on May 13, 2025, August 14, 2025, and November 4, 2025. All information provided in this release is as of the date hereof, and the Company assumes no obligation to and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

Notes regarding Non-GAAP Financial Information

In addition to the Company’s reported results in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”), the Company provides EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA.

In order to calculate EBITDA, the Company adjusts net (loss) income by adding back interest expense (income), provision (benefit) for income taxes, and depreciation and amortization expense. Adjusted EBITDA consists of EBITDA adjusted by the Company for certain non-cash and/or non-operating expenses, including adding back equity-based employee compensation expense, restructuring and restructuring-related charges such as impairment, acquisition and transaction costs, and other unusual or infrequently occurring items, if applicable, such as inventory reserves and adjustments, gains or losses on disposal of property, plant and equipment, and gains or losses on investments.

The Company believes that the presentation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are important financial measures that supplement discussion and analysis of its financial condition and results of operations and enhances an understanding of its operating performance. While management considers EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to be important, these financial performance measures should be considered in addition to, but not as a substitute for or superior to, other measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP, such as operating (loss) income, net (loss) income and cash flows from operations. Adjusted EBITDA is susceptible to varying calculations and the Company’s measurement of Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to those of other companies.

Investor Relations & Media Contact

Matt Kreps

Investor Relations

22nd Century Group

investorrelations@xxiicentury.com

214-597-8200

22nd CENTURY GROUP, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Unaudited)

(amounts in thousands, except share and per-share data)

22nd CENTURY GROUP, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

(Unaudited)

(amounts in thousands, except share and per-share data)

Table A – Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Measures

(dollars in thousands, except share and per-share data)

Below is a table containing information relating to the Company’s Net loss, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, including a reconciliation of these Non-GAAP measures for such periods.

1Fav = Favorable variance, which increases EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA; Unfav = unfavorable variance, which reduces EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA