Philip Morris Knockback Leaves Cigarette Alternatives in Limbo
- Company failed to show iQOS device cuts risk, FDA panel says
- Health agencies remain wary of cigarette alternatives
Philip Morris Int'l CEO Bets on Smoke-Free Products
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Big Tobacco is spending billions of dollars to develop products that could move the industry beyond cigarettes. The problem is that health experts and regulators aren’t buying it.
The latest setback came Thursday, when a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel said Philip Morris International Inc. failed to show that its iQOS device, which heats tobacco to a lower temperature than a lit cigarette, cuts the risk of tobacco-related ailments. That could prevent the company from marketing iQOS as a healthier alternative to cigarettes, even if it’s approved for sale in the U.S.