Philip Morris International (PMI) has transformed and focused on a portfolio of smoke-free alternatives to replace cigarettes in reducing the risk of harm for adult smokers.
The company for over 20 years, has been working on developing and scientifically assessing products that are better alternatives to cigarettes. It was examining products that do not burn tobacco or create cigarette smoke and, therefore, generate significantly lower levels of toxic substances compared with cigarettes.
In 2020, the company issued its statement of purpose, reaffirming its 2016 commitment to delivering a smoke-free future. Since 2008, PMI has invested more than $9 billion to develop, scientifically substantiate, and commercialise smoke-free products for adults who would otherwise continue to smoke, with the goal of completely ending the sale of cigarettes.
Speaking at the PMI media interactive event held in Lagos, VP Market Activation & Support, Philip Morris International, Tommaso Di Giovanni, said, for over a decade, PMI has leveraged technology and science to develop, assess, and commercialise less harmful alternatives to cigarettes.
“We are disrupting our business to achieve a bold vision, to replace cigarettes with science-based smoke-free products as soon as possible and shifting our resources and fundamentally changing both our purpose and our operations and we are making tremendous progress toward a smoke-free future.
“PMI is also actively working to expand our purpose and evolve into a broader lifestyle, consumer wellness and healthcare company, extending our value proposition and innovative capability to commercialise products that go beyond tobacco and nicotine.”
He noted that the company is not alone in this journey and if everyone embraces the power of innovation, cigarettes can be left behind rapidly and public health can be improved substantially.
He added that, “there are approximately a billion smoker today in the world, and even the World Health Organisation (WHO) tells us that despite all the efforts, this number will remain the same in the years to come.
“Besides doing what we are doing, which is absolutely fair, is encouraging people not to start or encouraging them to quit if they are smoking. The UN challenged us to do that alongside many public health experts to come up with less toxic alternatives to cigarettes for those who cannot quit smoking,” he added.
On creating awareness, director, EA Nigeria, Philip Morris International, Mojisola Akpata, said a smoke-free information dissemination is only possible when there is a collaboration between government, ministries, agencies, regulators, and the tobacco industry, saying, this is the only way that the right information can be pass out.
He emphasised that the government and the tobacco industry need to agree on how to move forward and have a conversation to take away the misinformation and disinformation that is happening around the smoke free products.
The general manager, Nigeria, Philip Morris International, Okechukwu Aguoru, also said, “We have an ongoing conversation with several regulatory authorities on how best to commercialise these products in Nigeria. At the moment, we are making available, clear scientific based information on the status of these products and showing the authorities that this has been done successfully in other parts of the world.”
