IQOS's victory in the US market: another outcome of the tobacco companies' deception

This Tuesday, July 7, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), under the supervision of the American Ministry of Health, granted Philip Morris the marketing of its heated tobacco system "IQOS" as a modified risk tobacco product (MRTP). What can be said about this authorization other than that it scandalously serves the tobacco market, to the detriment of public health?

IQOS: at the heart of PMI's commercial strategy to bounce back from the decline of cigarettes

Promoted as a healthier alternative to tobacco in that it “heats but does not burn tobacco” through partial combustion rather than complete combustion like cigarettes, the IQOS heated tobacco device is being put on a pedestal by Philip Morris. The company is using the harm reduction argument to flourish in Western markets and even in Asia and Latin America, where smoking prevalence is currently declining.[1].

The electronic partial combustion of IQOS or pyrolysis is in fact exaggeratedly put forward by this tobacco manufacturer, to make consumers and authorities believe that its product would be less harmful to smokers and those around them, in that it would produce fewer harmful or potentially harmful substances. With supporting studies carried out on behalf of Philip Morris, this is also the argument that was used by the FDA to obtain market authorization as an MRTP[2].

However, when independent researchers take a closer look at it, like Silvy Peeters and Anna B. Gilmore, the argument would represent above all an opportunity for the tobacco industry to establish a dialogue with public authorities and the scientific community as well as a means of maintaining a reputation as a responsible actor, rather than a reality for the health of consumers.[3].

And now ?

The marketing authorization of Philip Morris' IQOS as a modified-risk tobacco product is a boon for the tobacco industry. Now the company will be able to officially use its harm reduction argument – which it alone can justify because It is the reduction of the exhibition that was recognized for him – in its marketing strategies. The FDA in fact authorizes Philip Morris to claim that:

• “The IQOS heated tobacco device heats tobacco but does not burn it,” which
• "significantly reduces the production of harmful or potentially harmful chemicals," and that
• "Scientific studies have shown that completely switching from cigarettes to IQOS significantly reduces the production of harmful or potentially harmful chemicals."

The FDA says the approval is based on scientific evidence that the heated tobacco device has the potential to positively impact public health. A review of the approval is scheduled in four years. By that time, Philip Morris will have to prove that the device meets expectations in terms of improving public health, which should not be a problem for the company, which has already managed to deceive authorities and consumers with its risk-reduction theory.

In addition, Philip Morris will have to demonstrate that the marketing authorization of IQOS as an MRTP has not promoted the initiation of smoking among young people. On this point, it remains to be seen how the company will manage, given that MRTPs benefit from more regulatory flexibility.[4], particularly in terms of tax, and thus gain in attractiveness.

  ©Generation Without Tobacco

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[1] IQOS: Philip Morris' global offensive, National Committee Against Smoking (accessed July 10, 2020). [2] FDA News Release, FDA Authorizes Marketing of IQOS Tobacco Heating System with 'Reduced Exposure' Information, Food and Drug Administration (July 7, 2020 - accessed July 10, 2020). [3] PEETERS Silvy, GILMORE Anna B., Understanding the emergence of the tobacco industry's use of the term tobacco harm reduction in order to inform public health policy, BMJ Journals, Tobacco Control 2015;24:182-189 (accessed 10 July 2020). [4] DNF, Colorado Democrats Propose Nicotine Tax, Tobacco-Free Generation (June 17, 2020 - accessed July 10, 2020). DNF - For a Zero Tobacco World | MT