With a main aim of fostering dialogue and fact-based conversations, the Philip Morris International held the PMI’s 2021 Open Science event on November 4, 2021.
Taking part in the event were PMI’s top leaders, who revisited topics from previous events, and answered audience questions that were not addressed in the previous Open Science event. They also tackled a few misconceptions about PMI, its research, and about harm reduction in general.
Pierpaolo Magnani, Global Head Behavioral & Regulatory Insights, said if we look at the marketing studies that we have conducted in Japan and Italy where IQOS has been in the market for 6-7 years, we see around only 3% of IQOS users are coming from a previous abstinence of smoking.
Maurice Smith, Senior Scientific Advisor, pointed out that cigarette smoke, produced by the burning of tobacco, leads to the formation of solid particles being trapped in the lungs, meanwhile the heating of tobacco produces an aerosol, but without forming solid particles.
For her part, Moira Gilchrist, VP Strategic & Scientific Communications, said that using heated tobacco products is not the same as cessation, but the best option is always to never start or quit nicotine completely. Using HTP is not risk free as these products contain nicotine which is addictive, but these risks are far lower than continuing to smoke cigarettes.
We built up an R&D facility that allowed us to create and develop smoke-free alternative products including the IQOS device and asses it and its performance, she said.
“We’re focusing on switching adult smokers away from cigarettes and in the long-term we are focusing on exploring inhaled therapeutics and self-care wellness products. We’ve taken it very seriously to ensure we get our products to the right people, this is current adult smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke”.
“Yes we’re still selling combustible cigarettes but at the same time we are fully focused on providing smoke-free products to encourage people who would otherwise continue to smoke, to switch to safer alternatives,” he also said.
Gizelle Baker, VP Global Scientific Engagement, stated that “everywhere we have IQOS marketed; we have safety surveillance going on. And this data is published and submitted to the FDA and regulators as needed.”
IQOS was the first product that we commercialized. But we do have e-cigarettes, a nicotine pouch that we’re working on, and snus products. The goal is that we have a portfolio of smoke free products that appeal to smokers.
We believe that within the next 10 to 15 years in any country with the right support from government scientists and the public health community, we can stop selling cigarettes, she concluded.
