Philip Morris International Inc. signaled that cigarettes may start becoming obsolete within a decade in some markets as smokers switch to alternative products for nicotine.
“I am convinced it is possible to completely end cigarette sales in many countries within 10 to 15 years,” Chief Executive Officer Andre Calantzopoulos said in a sustainability report published Tuesday. He said the help of regulators is needed to make that possible.
While the company insists its smoking alternatives are less harmful than cigarettes, some health groups have expressed concern that heat-not-burn products expose consumers to other toxins and argue long-term effects are not yet known. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Hnb for sale in the U.S. last year, though stopped short of ruling whether it can be marketed as less risky than cigarettes.
The company set a target three years ago that at least 40 million adult smokers will have stopped smoking and switched to its smoke-free products by 2025. Philip Morris estimates nearly 14 million consumers were e-cigarette users at the end of 2019, with almost 10 million having quit cigarettes.
Vapesourcing Opinion:
According to the World Health Organization, there are about 1.3 billion tobacco users worldwide. If 10% of smokers can use smoke-free products, it will save more than 10 million people. Vapesourcing is committed to promoting smoke-free products, which is our mission.
