PMI Worries About Potential Ban on Heated Tobacco Products at COP10

Recently, according to The Guardian, Philip Morris International (PMI) is concerned about the upcoming tenth conference of the parties (COP10) to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), as it is expected to advocate for a ban on heated tobacco products (HTP).

Gregoire Verdeaux, Senior Vice President of External Affairs at PMI, expressed his concerns in an email stating that "the main components of the agenda and meeting documents have been made public. Once again, they validate all of our concerns that this conference may be the biggest missed opportunity in the history of tobacco control.

Weirduo said, "The agenda of the World Health Organization is nothing more than a systematic, well-organized, and prohibitive attack on smoke-free products."

David Warburton stated that without "reasonable, constructive outcomes", the World Health Organization would irreversibly jeopardize a historic opportunity for public health, as smoke-free products, under appropriate regulation, can accelerate the decline in smoking rates faster than tobacco control alone.

Although Philip Morris International (PMI) was not invited to participate in the Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, Verdon stated that he will publicly condemn the "absurd exclusion" in Panama, and that "today's PMI is undoubtedly the most helpful private partner that the World Health Organization can have".

According to PMI's financial report, statistics reveal that the company generated a revenue of $10.19 billion in 2022 from emerging tobacco products such as heated tobacco and e-cigarettes.