The Philip Morris International (PMI), has pushed for smoke-free alternatives to replace cigarettes, as it was deeply worried by the inherent danger associated with tobacco smoking particularly among young people.
The company, for over 20 years, has been working on developing and scientifically assessing products that are better alternatives to cigarettes. It advocated for products that do not burn tobacco or create cigarette smoke and, therefore, generate significantly lower levels of toxic substances compared with cigarettes.
At a press conference in Lagos, the vice president, Market Activation & Support – Philip Morris International, Tommaso Di Giovanni, said conversations were in progress with the federal government of Nigeria and other relevant stakeholders to key into the plan to unsmoke the world with improved non- combustible products made possible by modern science and technology.
According to him, so many countries are already adopting PMI idea including countries in Africa: Egypt, Tunisia, South Africa and Morocco, therefore, Nigeria could not afford to lag behind.
“For Nigerians to get the right information about smoking, there is need for federal government to engage the producers or importers of tobacco products for a cross pollination and fertilisation of ideas on how to entrench better alternatives to endangered tobacco products and smoking,” he said.
Also, director, EA Nigeria, at PMI, Mojisola Akpata, maintained that PMI has over a period leveraged technology and science to develop, assess, and commercialise less harmful alternatives products.
Akpata confirmed that PMI is making tremendous progress toward a smoke-free future by disrupting its business to achieve a bold vision, to replace cigarettes with science-based smoke-free products.
“PMI is actively working to expand its purpose and evolve into a broader lifestyle, consumer wellness and healthcare company, extending its value proposition and innovative capability to commercialise products that go beyond tobacco and nicotine,” she stressed.
According to her, tobacco harm reduction make sense because current fiscal and regulatory measures are not accelerating cessation, while scientifically substantiated products capable of switching consumers out of differentiated regulatory frameworks should be adopted.
“The interest of 1 billion people who smoke globally should also be at the center of every public health discourse. We believe that with the right regulatory frameworks, dialogue and support from civil society, cigarette sales can end within 10 to 15 years in many countries,” she pointed out.
“Philip Morris researchers have proven that IQOS aerosol is significantly less harmful to human health. The increasing popularity of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and, more recently, the new “heat-not-burn” tobacco products (heated tobacco products (HTPs) under its IQOS brand is the way to go,” she added.
The general manager (Nigeria) at Philip Morris, Okechukwu Aguoru, said smoke-free products remains a better alternatives for adults who would otherwise continue to smoke because they do not produce smoke.
“The best choice for smokers is to quit tobacco and nicotine products entirely. Smoke is the main concern because of the high levels of harm involved and it’s a primary source of smoking-related diseases found in cigarette smoke,” he said.
He charged adult smokers to seek accurate information on the matter under review to enable them make informed decisions.
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