the tobacco company Philip Morrismanufacturer of brands such as Marlboro and Chesterfield, will begin to completely remove traditional cigarettes from the windowss to focus on “IQOS” tobacco heaters, but current regulation prohibits their commercialization, so the company seeks a dialogue with the president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
In an interview for MILLENNIUM, Catalina Betancourt, president of regulatory affairs for Philip Morris in Mexico, He explained that they have sought a business dialogue with the regulatory authorities of Mexico. after the president López Obrador will sign a decree to ban vaping products in May this year.
“We have knocked on all the doors and we are going to continue knocking on them, we believe that We are at a time when there is a lot of misinformation there is skepticism that there could be a sensible initiative of alternatives on the part of the tobacco industry,” said Betancourt.
According to the company, the electronic deviceo IQOS produces 95 percent fewer health effects for the 15 million smokers in Mexico. Currently, it is sold in 71 markets around the world and they hope that in five years it will reach 100, including Mexico. In addition, 30 percent of their income already comes from this product and in 2025 they estimate that it will be half, so that within 10 to 15 years they would begin to eliminate conventional cigarettes.
Philip Morris’s proposal is that by 2025 these products represent 50 percent of its global production and in 2030 begin to withdraw from the conventional cigarette market.
“The plan for Mexico is to be able to bring these heated tobacco products and other tobacco and nicotine alternatives as soon as possible so that the 15 million smokers, but the step that is needed is not one that we can do alone, because it is about hand in hand with a clear and strict regulatory framework that protects minors, but also allows a regulated market from a health point of view,” said Betancourt.
Currently, Betancourt explained, 70 percent of the cost of a cigarette is tax.
In regulatory matter, Philip Morris seeks to establish a lower taxOr, it argues that if there is less harmful impact, the established tax will also be less, since part of the problem is that people who smoke very difficult to access this type of non-combustion products.
Despite this, they detailed that the brand is establishing ideas so that all Mexican smokers, depending on their economic situation, can access heaters, but emphasized that for this to be a reality their sale in the country must be regulated, because the black market is a problem for these initiatives.
“Los black and additional markets are a health risk, none is a risk-free product, anything that occurs within the framework of irregularity because it does not go through health regulation, but a product with clear regulations, at least gives certainty to its consumers”.
During the presentation of her IQOS tobacco heater product, the doctor and one of the creators of this product, Andrea Costantini, highlighted that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA, for its acronym in English) already approved this product this year, since its risk profile is different and lower than conventional cigarettes, since it found less toxicity, in addition to being supported by more than 300 scientific studies.
“They understand that it’s not a risk-free product, but it’s better than a current product,” he said.
Costantini clarified that this product it is not the same as a common vape, since although they have similar issues, heated tobacco obtains the nicotine from the tobacco itself, it does not burn and generates fewer toxic substances.
He also highlighted that IQOS is already tested, regulated and accepted in 71 markets, including Latin American countries such as the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.
They detailed that IQOS should not be understood as a product to stop smoking or for non-smokers, since it is thought to counteract the impacts on the smoking population, “bans do not lead to anything good,” Costantini assured.
AMP