The cigarette manufacturer has recently gained FDA approval to market its IQOS tobacco heating device.
America’s Food and Drink Administration (FDA) has authorized the marketing of an electronic tobacco heating product, designed to completely replace cigarettes within the next ten to fifteen years.
The IQOS device, developed by cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris International (PMI) – the company behind leading brands including Marlboro, Virginia Slims and Benson & Hedges – releases a nicotine-containing vapor which the company claims is less harmful to smokers.
While cigarettes burn tobacco at over 600° Celsius, generating smoke containing a cocktail of chemicals, electronically heating the tobacco at lower temperatures of up to 350° causes the tobacco to release a vapor containing the nicotine craved by smokers but fewer chemicals overall. By phasing traditional cigarettes out, the company plans to be smoke-free by 2035.
In a statement, the company said that the FDA’s decision “demonstrates that IQOS is fundamentally different from combustible cigarettes, and a better choice for adults who would otherwise continue smoking.”
Donna Rachel Edmunds – The Jerusalem Post – July 10, 2020.
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