LAUSANNE, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) (NYSE: PM) is calling on policymakers, regulators, public health advocates, tobacco companies, and activists to unite behind bringing about the end of cigarette smoking.
As the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) convenes to discuss global challenges, the company is releasing a white paper, Rethinking Disruption: Innovating for Better in an Era of Division, which previews select findings from a new international survey highlighting the broad societal support for disruptive innovations to improve public health and address other critical issues. The white paper explores how the world’s most significant challenges—including smoking—can be solved through pragmatic solutions and decisive, concerted action.
The survey respondents (17,207 adults aged 21 and older in 14 countries) believe that the development and adoption of new technologies, innovations, and capabilities can enable significant progress against a range of issues over the next 10 to 20 years, including:
- Encouraging healthier eating habits (78 percent)
- Ensuring quality and affordable healthcare for all (72 percent)
- Reducing smoking rates (65 percent)
- Eliminating hunger and malnourishment (62 percent)
“We believe that there exists a real opportunity for activists, public health leaders, and policymakers to significantly improve public health by helping millions of adults who would otherwise continue to smoke switch to better alternatives,” said Jacek Olczak, CEO, PMI. “For more than a decade, PMI has been transforming for good, directing our resources and energy to provide better options to adult smokers and deliver a smoke-free future as quickly as possible. Though the best choice is never to start smoking or to quit if you do, we know that, realistically, many smokers will not quit—and, frankly, those adults deserve better.”
Senior PMI executives, including Jacek Olczak, will address international forums during the week of September 19, talking about the pressing need for collaboration on solutions that are real, practical, and grounded in science to achieve meaningful progress in the tobacco sector and beyond.
Events include:
- September 20: CEO Jacek Olczak will address the 2022 Concordia Annual Summit on the topic of “Driving Change in the Age of Disruption.”
- September 20: SVP, External Affairs Grégoire Verdeaux will join the Diplomatic Courier for a panel discussion on “The Global Goals in Action 2022: Reduced Inequalities.”
- September 21: Deepak Mishra, President, Americas Region, will join Recount Media for a breakfast panel titled, “From Disruption to Progress—Innovating for Better in the Age of Division.”
- September 22: CEO Jacek Olczak will be a panelist at a custom event with the Wall Street Journal on “Disruption 2.0: Build Up Not Break Down.”
- September 22: CEO Jacek Olczak will participate in the Leaders on Purpose CEO Summit, addressing the “Transition on Purpose: Leading Systemic Business Model Transformation in Times of Disruption.”
Today, better alternatives to continued smoking exist and can bring about radical, positive change for public health—creating a future in which cigarettes are obsolete. Real-world evidence shows that providing adult smokers access to these innovative, scientifically substantiated smoke-free products—while protecting youth and nonsmokers—is an effective tool in reducing smoking rates. By embracing this opportunity for meaningful tobacco harm reduction, governments, public health authorities, and civil society can harness the power of science and innovation to achieve disruptive change that benefits adults who smoke and the public health.
“Innovation is a crucial piece of the solution of eliminating cigarettes, but it’s not the only piece,” said Grégoire Verdeaux, Senior Vice President, External Affairs, PMI. “Once scientific and technological advances have been made, regulations need to keep up. Policies should reflect that certain tobacco and nicotine products are less harmful and ensure that adult smokers who do not quit can access and afford these better alternatives to cigarettes. This is especially true in developing countries, where most smokers are.”
To learn more about how PMI is delivering a smoke-free future faster, visit PMI.com/rethinkdisruption.
Philip Morris International: Delivering a Smoke-Free Future
Philip Morris International (PMI) is a leading international tobacco company working to deliver a smoke-free future and evolving its portfolio for the long term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. The company’s current product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products, including heat-not-burn, vapor, and oral nicotine products, which are sold in markets outside the U.S. Since 2008, PMI has invested more than USD 9 billion to develop, scientifically substantiate, and commercialize innovative smoke-free products for adults who would otherwise continue to smoke, with the goal of completely ending the sale of cigarettes. This includes the building of world-class scientific assessment capabilities, notably in the areas of pre-clinical systems toxicology, clinical and behavioral research, as well as post-market studies. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the marketing of versions of PMI’s IQOS Platform 1 devices and consumables as Modified Risk Tobacco Products (MRTPs), finding that exposure modification orders for these products are appropriate to promote the public health. As of June 30, 2022, excluding Russia and Ukraine, PMI’s smoke-free products were available for sale in 70 markets, and PMI estimates that approximately 13.2 million adults around the world had already switched to IQOS and stopped smoking. With a strong foundation and significant expertise in life sciences, in February 2021 PMI announced its ambition to expand into wellness and healthcare areas and deliver innovative products and solutions that aim to address unmet consumer and patient needs. For more information, please visit www.pmi.com and www.pmiscience.com.