Philip Morris International (PMI) is celebrating 10 years since it launched iqos, the device that heats tobacco without burning it, and thus began the journey to a smoke-free future. The company has made significant progress and remains committed to its vision of replacing cigarettes with science-based smokeless alternatives.
Philip Morris International is the first company in the tobacco industry to rely on science and meet the needs of adult smokers with a new category of products that do not burn tobacco, but heat it. IQOS was the first product in this category and was launched in 2014 in Japan. Today, PMI's alternative smokeless products are available in over 80 markets and IQOS is the leader in the heated tobacco segment, with over 28 million users globally.
“This anniversary gives us an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to building a smoke-free future based on combustion-eliminating, science-based alternatives. We dedicate this moment to the community of IQOS users, who prove to us that cigarettes really can one day become history. Romania is the fourth market where IQOS was launched, and today, over half a million Romanian adult smokers have chosen the smoke-free device developed by our company. In Romania, we launched the latest product in the portfolio, IQOS ILUMA, and once again revolutionized the category by introducing induction heating technology. We offer our users an experience with no tobacco residue and no need to clean the device. We continue to innovate, rely on science and provide our consumers with products that meet their needs and are a better alternative to continuing to smoke.“, stated Mircea Scaunașu, Managing Director Philip Morris Romania.
Over the past ten years, PMI's portfolio of smoke-free alternatives has positively impacted millions of adult smokers, those around them, and accelerated the process of quitting. Today, the net revenues brought in by smokeless products have surpassed those brought in by Marlborough. In 25 markets, including Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Poland and Romania, PMI's revenues from smokeless products exceed 50% of total net revenues.
“Philip Morris International a invested heavily in research and innovation to deliver adult smokers better alternatives to continued smoking. But for change to be effectively enacted, governments and society at large must play an active role. It is important that and regulators to embrace the opportunity offered by innovation and science for benefit society and smokers. We at Philip Morris International, we are fully committed to the mission of continuing to build a smoke-free world and Romania.”, added Mircea Scaunașu, Managing Director of Philip Morris Romania.
The company has invested more than $12.5 billion in research and development and continues to innovate to expand its portfolio of science-based alternatives for adults who would otherwise continue to smoke. More than 1,500 research and development professionals are working to expand the industry's most advanced portfolio of smoke-free alternatives in research and development facilities in Switzerland and Singapore.
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Philip Morris International: For a smoke-free future
Philip Morris International (PMI) is a leading international tobacco company that has set out to build a smoke-free future and to expand its long-term product portfolio beyond the tobacco or nicotine products sector. The company's current product portfolio consists mainly of cigarettes and smokeless products. Since 2008, PMI has invested more than $12.5 billion to develop, scientifically substantiate and commercialize innovative smokeless products for adults who would otherwise continue to smoke, with the goal of ending the sale of cigarettes entirely. For this, world-class scientific evaluation capabilities have been built, particularly in the areas of preclinical systems toxicology, clinical and behavioral research, as well as post-marketing studies. In November 2022, PMI acquired Swedish Match – a leading marketer of oral nicotine products – and is thus at the forefront of companies fighting for a smoke-free future through its IQOS and ZYN brands. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared a version of PMI's Platform 1 IQOS device and related consumables, as well as Swedish Match's snus product, as a Modified Risk Tobacco Product (MRTP ). As of December 30, 2023, smoke-free products developed by PMI were available for sale in 84 markets and PMI estimates that approximately 20.8 million adults worldwide have already switched to IQOS and quit smoking. Smokeless products accounted for approximately 37% of PMI's total net revenues for the full year 2023. With a strong foundation and significant expertise in life sciences, in February 2021 PMI announced in February 2021 its ambition to expand into wellness and health care and, through its subsidiary Vectura Fertin Pharma, aims to improve the quality of life by providing integrated health experiences.
For more information you can visit www.pmi.com and www.pmiscience.com
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