Key Points:
·Philip Morris International (PMI) is focusing on investing in smokeless electronic devices in an effort to reduce health risks.
·Technology replacing tobacco combustion may lessen the harm of smoking on health.
·Various sectors are calling for regulatory challenges stemming from youth e-cigarette use to be addressed through compliant means.
·Bans on e-cigarette sales in Latin American countries are causing a black market effect.
According to information released at the 2025 Technovation conference in Switzerland, the international tobacco brand manufacturers Philip Morris International (PMI) are increasing investment in promoting smokeless electronic devices to reduce the health risks associated with smoking. These alternative products use heating vapor technology instead of traditional tobacco combustion and contain nicotine pouches.
A company spokesperson stated that the health difference lies in the fact that the product does not undergo combustion, which may reduce the harm of cigarettes by about 95% to 99%. Traditional cigarettes, when burned, not only release nicotine naturally present in tobacco, but also generate a large amount of harmful health compounds. Tommaso di Giovanni, Vice President of PMI, pointed out that cigarettes burn at temperatures of 800 to 900 degrees Celsius, producing 6,000 to 7,000 chemical substances, of which around 100 are harmful to health.
In order to reduce the health issues caused by smoking, PMI is focused on replacing smoke with vapor. Although nicotine intake from smoking still poses risks to health, e-cigarettes and smokeless devices may be a safer alternative compared to traditional cigarettes.
E-cigarette devices, such as PMI's Veev, generate vapor by heating e-liquid containing propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin, although they continue to raise health concerns. However, PMI claims that they are 99% less harmful than traditional cigarettes. Additionally, PMI has introduced a nicotine pouch called Zyn in the United States, which delivers nicotine without combustion, meeting the needs of users.
Despite being popular in most countries, novel devices are still banned from being sold in Latin American countries. Nicolas Otte, the Global Head of Preventing Illicit Trade at PMI, believes that the ban will only increase black market trading, causing these devices to enter the market through illegal channels and resulting in a significant loss of tax revenue. Therefore, providing consumers with legitimate channels and necessary health education is the most effective measure to combat the illegal market.
PMI continues to explore globally how to meet the needs of nicotine users without increasing health risks, thereby gradually reducing the prevalence of traditional cigarettes.
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