PMI exec sees momentum in Philippine smoke-free market

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MANILA, Philippines — Philip Morris International (PMI) is seeing growing traction for its smoke-free products in the Philippines but said more needs to be done to speed up the shift away from conventional cigarettes.

Tommaso di Giovanni, PMI's vice president for communications and engagement, said the company is seeing momentum for its IQOS heated tobacco products and ZYN nicotine pouches in the Philippine market, where around 14 million people continue to smoke.

PMI's smoke-free offerings in the country include IQOS devices, HEETS and TEREA heated tobacco sticks, the more affordable BONDS device, BLENDS consumables and ZYN oral nicotine pouches.

"There's certainly traction in the Philippines with IQOS, but also with ZYN at the moment. So, we see momentum, absolutely. But I think there's a lot more that can be done," di Giovanni said.

He made the remarks on the sidelines of the "Technovation: Smoke-Free by PMFTC" summit at the Manila Marriott Hotel in Pasay City on Tuesday, November 10.

Need for consumer education

Di Giovanni said the Philippines already has progressive legislation on smoke-free products, but consumers need clearer information about the differences between conventional cigarettes and alternatives.

"The country has progressive legislation already for a few years. I think a clear and consistent message needs to be shared with them," he said.

He said consumers should understand how cigarettes differ from e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and oral nicotine pouches so they can make informed choices.

"One of the keys to that, to free these people from cigarettes, these 14 million Filipinos who still smoke, is to actually continue to explain proactively to them the difference between the categories so that they can make an informed choice," he said.

Di Giovanni said burning tobacco produces significant levels of harmful compounds, while smoke-free alternatives do not involve the same combustion process.

"When we burn a cigarette, we create a chemical factory that releases significant levels of harmful compounds," he said.

He cited PMI's claims that some smoke-free products generate 90% to 95% lower levels of harmful compounds than conventional cigarettes, depending on the product.

"These products are clearly not risk-free, but they're much, much better than cigarettes," he said.

Faster shift from conventional cigarettes

Di Giovanni said PMI's priority is to get smokers to move away from conventional cigarettes by making alternative nicotine products available.

"I think we need to be pragmatic. We still have a billion people who smoke in the world, 14 million only in the Philippines," he said.

"Our first objective should be to take them away from the most harmful form of nicotine consumption today, which is cigarettes, and the easiest way, the best way to do it is to give them alternatives that still deliver nicotine but with much less, significantly lower levels of harmful compounds," he added.

He acknowledged that nicotine is addictive and not risk-free but said it is not the primary cause of smoking-related diseases.

"Nicotine is not risk-free and is addictive, but it's not the primary cause of smoking-related diseases. We shouldn't focus on the wrong battle," he said.

"The right battle at the moment is getting people off cigarettes," he added.

Di Giovanni said quitting tobacco and nicotine use altogether remains the best option for health. For those who do not quit, he said switching to smoke-free alternatives is another option.

The summit brought together policy experts, scientists, health experts and industry leaders to discuss tobacco harm reduction, product innovation, consumer education and regulation.

PMI President for East and Southeast Asia, Pacific and Global Travel Retail Vassilis Gkatzelis said countries with regulatory frameworks that recognize differences among nicotine products tend to see a faster shift toward smoke-free alternatives.

"When you have the combination of access, information, right regulation, and proper enforcement, we see that cigarette smoking declines faster," he said.

In the Philippines, Republic Act 11900, or the Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act, was signed into law in 2022. It regulates the manufacture, sale, distribution, use and advertising of vaporized nicotine and non-nicotine products and novel tobacco products.

The law prohibits the sale of covered products to individuals below 18 years old and sets requirements for product registration, standards and restrictions on advertising and promotions.

PMI said it has invested more than $16 billion globally in smoke-free research and development since 2008.