The advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration voted 5-to-4 to reject a claim from Philip Morris International Inc. that “Switching completely to IQOS presents less risk of harm than continuing to smoke cigarettes.” Phillip Morris claims that using their IQOS device, which heats tobacco rather than burn it, could reduce the risk of tobacco related health issues compared to cigarettes.
“How many more smokers will have to die on the FDA’s watch until they catch up to the rest of the world when it comes to supporting harm reduction technologies?” Director of Government Relations John Nothdurft said. “The rest of the world is far ahead of the United States in terms of supporting policies that help smokers quit or at a minimum move to less harmful alternatives such as heat-not-burn products, e-cigarettes, and snus.”
