Uche Usim, Abuja
Philip Morris International (PMI), a leading manufacturer of cigarettes, has disclosed that it is taking strategic steps to deliver a future without cigarettes by leveraging on its massive investments in science and technology.
PMI’s Vice President for Strategic and Scientific Communications, Dr. Moira Gilchrist, in a statement on Saturday, said with the right regulatory encouragement and support from the civil society, the company believes that the goal can be achieved in many countries in 10 to 15 years (2035).
Gilchrist said PMI had invested over $7.2 billion in developing, testing, and manufacturing better alternatives to cigarettes, like the I Quit Original Smoking (IQOS) electronic tobacco heated system that produces a vapour, rather than harmful smoke, for adults who would otherwise continue to smoke.
These products, she said, were the result of nearly two decades of research and development led by a team of more than 430 world-class scientists and other experts.
Gilchrist, however, noted that governments and broader society had yet to embrace science at its fullest potential”.
According to him, over 19,000 adults across 19 countries and territories participated in the independent survey conducted by Povaddo on behalf of PMI between June 25 and July 8, 2020.