Given that Greece is still one of the countries with the highest smoking rates worldwide, Olzak emphasized the need for a practical smoking cessation plan. He emphasized that e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products align with this approach.
As cited by Ekathimerini, he did acknowledge that these products "are not without risk and can be addictive," but he rightly added that they are a "better choice" compared to continuing to smoke and using traditional cigarettes. Of course, numerous studies have already proven this point.
BAT, a competitor of PMI, conducted a randomized controlled study, titled "Exploring the Continuity of Smoking Cessation-Related Exposure When Smokers Switch to Heated Tobacco Products or E-Cigarettes among Healthy Participants", aimed at understanding the risks associated with using e-cigarettes. Researchers tracked a total of 148 healthy smokers who were randomly assigned to either continue smoking, switch to BAT's Glo HTP or prototype EC, or quit smoking completely for 5 days after a baseline period of 2 days. The researchers continued to collect respiratory and 24-hour urine samples for analysis of exposure biomarkers (BoE).
According to compiled data, after a conversion period of five days, the level of the Bank of England using Glo or prototype EC has significantly declined compared to the baseline. Consistent with previous research results, researchers found that among those exposed to a continuous spectrum, the BoE levels were lowest in non-smokers who completely quit nicotine, followed by those who switched to EC, and then those who switched to Glo.
Especially for heated tobacco product IQOS, which is used by 21 million people worldwide and 360,000 people in Greece, harmful chemical levels have been reduced by up to 95% on average.
Meanwhile, when asked about PMI's plans to expand into the health and healthcare sectors, Olzak stated that it is a natural evolution for tobacco companies. "This is a natural evolution for PMI to further transform our business into a broader lifestyle, consumer health, and healthcare company in the future. This evolution not only fulfills our commitment to achieving a smoke-free future, but also enables the development and commercialization of scientifically proven products and solutions to meet unmet consumer and patient needs.
He added that the market is already prepared for these changes. "The market for health and wellness products is huge and continually growing. We have several key areas in our pipeline. For consumer and over-the-counter healthcare products, we have initiatives focused on attention, sleep, energy, pain, and calmness. In the healthcare field, we believe there is still unmet demand for fast and effective treatment of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks, and neurological conditions such as migraines can be addressed through innovative solutions. We have recently accelerated this part of our strategy through the acquisition of innovators in inhalation delivery solutions provider Vectura and leading developer and manufacturer of innovative drugs and health products based on oral and buccal delivery systems Fertin," said Orzack.
According to Alzack, in addition to current efforts to prevent people from starting smoking and to help them quit, providing smokeless alternatives for consenting adults who choose to continue smoking can also have a positive impact on public health. In this context, he is calling on authorities, policy makers, and public health organizations to take appropriate action.
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