The US Food and Drug Administration has said it would permit Philip Morris to sell its IQOS tobacco heating system in the United States.
Following a rigorous science-based review, the agency determined that authorising the device for the US market is appropriate for the protection of the public health because it produces fewer or lower levels of some toxins than combustible cigarettes, the FDA said.
It is the first electrically heated tobacco product to qualify for sale in the US in accordance with the 2009 law that empowers FDA to regulate tobacco products.
'Smoke-Free Alternative'
PMI chief executive André Calantzopoulos, said, “The FDA’s decision to authorise IQOS in the US is an important step forward for the approximately 40 million American men and women who smoke. Some will quit. Most won’t, and for them IQOS offers a smoke-free alternative to continued smoking."
"All of us at PMI are determined to replace cigarettes with smoke-free alternatives that combine sophisticated technology and intensive scientific validation. FDA’s announcement is a historic milestone,” he added.
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