RESEARCH INTO HEAT-NOT-BURN TOBACCO MEETS HIGH STANDARDS
WITH reference to the letter to the editor by Savera Kalideen, the executive director: National Council Against Smoking, carried in Business Report last week, Philip Morris South Africa would like to respond to certain important points.
First, it is important to note that the best alternative for smokers is to quit. But for those who cannot or do not want to, IQOS (a next generation vaping device) – while not risk-free – is a better choice.
Today in South Africa, IQOS with HEETS (also known as HeatSticks in some markets, a specially designed heated tobacco unit that contains tobacco) is classified as a tobacco product and sold and marketed under the existing regulatory framework of the Tobacco Products Control Act.
Research into IQOS, Philip Morris International’s heat not burn tobacco product, is carried out according to internationally recognised scientific standards, including good clinical practice for clinical research, or Good Laboratory Practice.
Our methodologies and findings are shared with scientific experts and regulators through publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals, presentations at scientific conferences, and via omniscience.com.
Furthermore, all of our clinical studies are registered on ClinicalTrials. gov and we invite independent verification of our scientific results.
PMI’s reduced exposure studies verify that smokers who switch to our smoke-free products are actually exposed to less harmful and potentially harmful constituents compared with those who continue to smoke cigarettes in a clinical setting.
When access to information about tobacco alternatives is restricted, it is difficult for smokers to make informed decisions about alternatives to cigarettes. The result is that, while some will quit, the World Health Organisation predictions show that most will continue to smoke.
The pending Control of Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Bill offers South Africa a unique opportunity to create new legislation, which takes into account the advances (made) in the development of reduced risk products. Key to this is the availability of information on these products for adult smokers.
The New Zealand government last month released a regulatory proposal for smoke-free products to support smokers to switch to “significantly less harmful alternatives”.
The 12-page plan has as its dual aims to improve smokers’ access to quality vaping and smokeless products and publicly available information on vaping.
The document acknowledges the fundamentals of harm reduction and the emerging scientific consensus around smoke-free products expressly including heated tobacco products, and clearly states that, “Many people want to quit smoking, but this can be difficult, especially for those who face complex challenges in their lives. However, many smokers who find it hard to quit may be able to switch to much less harmful alternatives, such as vaping.”
We agree with the assertion that the new bill provides an ideal opportunity to properly regulate the latest tobacco products.
However, the regulation should recognise that all tobacco products are not the same and encourage those men and women who would otherwise continue smoking to switch to smokefree alternatives.
Innovations that can offer real benefits for our friends and family, as more people switch, we believe, have the potential to have a widespread and positive impact on public health.
SHARMILA PARSOTAM
Head of Scientific Engagement, Reduced Risk Products Corporate Affairs, Philip Morris International.