PMI calls for reliance on scientific evidence regarding smoke-free products

Leading international consumer goods company Philip Morris International (PMI), which has taken a leading position in the smoke-free segment, states that most harmful components in smoke are formed during combustion.

The company refers to external scientific and public health organizations that have established that eliminating the process of tobacco combustion can significantly reduce the exposure of smokers to harmful chemicals. This was stated in an interview with ANews by Tomoko Iida, PMI’s Director of Scientific Engagement for South and Southeast Asia, CIS, the Middle East, and Africa.

Tomoko Iida has many years of experience in biomedical research. She graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with degrees in biomedical and chemical engineering, earned an MBA from Imperial College London, worked in research divisions at MIT and Sony, and later joined PMI, where for over 15 years she has been involved in supporting the company’s harm reduction strategy and developing smoke-free products.

According to her, the decision to join PMI was unexpected, as she had previously conducted scientific research in the United States on the effects of cigarette smoke on human health.

“When I was first offered a job at this company, my answer was a firm ‘no.’ However, after becoming familiar with the company’s scientific developments and research, I saw data that I found convincing,” Iida said.

She also noted that a personal factor that strengthened her decision to work at PMI was her father’s experience. He was a heavy smoker, consuming up to two packs of cigarettes a day.

According to her, he switched to a heated tobacco product, after which improvements in his health were observed. “For me, this became a personal example of how such innovations can help smokers who are not ready to quit cigarettes entirely,” she said.

The PMI representative emphasized that a key element of the company’s strategy is the development of products that do not involve tobacco combustion.

According to her, combustion is the main source of most harmful chemical compounds found in cigarette smoke.

“If you eliminate combustion, the levels of harmful substances are reduced many times over,” she stated.

She also clarified that, according to company research, heated tobacco products contain 90–95% lower levels of harmful chemicals compared to traditional cigarettes. She noted that a similar principle applies to other categories of smoke-free nicotine products.

Speaking about common perceptions of nicotine, Iida stated that nicotine itself is not the cause of cancer.

According to her, many people, including part of the medical community, mistakenly believe that nicotine causes cancer.

“Yes, nicotine is addictive, but it is not the primary cause of smoking-related diseases and is not included in the list of carcinogens,” she said, referring to data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

PMI’s main smoke-free product is the IQOS tobacco heating system. The company also produces special tobacco sticks under brands such as HEETS and TEREA, designed for different generations of IQOS devices. In certain markets, other stick brands are also available, including SENTIA, DELIA, and BLENDS. In addition, following the acquisition of Swedish Match, PMI is developing the nicotine pouch category, including the ZYN brand.

According to the company, these products do not involve tobacco combustion and are part of its strategy to develop smoke-free alternatives to traditional cigarettes.

Responding to a question about the most convincing evidence of the harm reduction strategy’s effectiveness, the company representative pointed to so-called “real-world evidence.”

As examples, she cited Japan, where, according to her, smoking rates roughly halved over a decade amid the spread of smoke-free products, as well as Sweden, where the use of traditional smokeless tobacco product – snus has been accompanied by a decline in lung cancer incidence among men.

She noted that assessing the long-term impact of such changes requires time, as many smoking-related diseases develop over decades.
Iida believes that local scientific and medical communities should play an important role in shaping public policy.

“If local experts do not have full information about existing scientific evidence, it will be more difficult for them to help policymakers develop effective regulation,” she said.

In recent years, PMI has consistently stated its intention to move away from cigarettes in favor of smoke-free alternatives, positioning its strategy as a transition to a “smoke-free future.”

At the same time, questions regarding the long-term health impact of alternative nicotine products remain the subject of ongoing scientific research and debate in the international medical community.

Philip Morris International is one of the world’s largest producers of tobacco and nicotine-containing products, with brands present in more than 180 markets. The company states that since 2008 it has invested over $14 billion in the development, scientific research, and commercialization of smoke-free products and considers them the foundation of its long-term business transformation strategy. PMI plans to generate two-thirds of its gross revenue from smoke-free products by 2030.

N.Tebrizli