PMI and Altria extending e-vapor co-operation

Philip Morris International announced yesterday the extension of its December 13 strategic framework with the Altria Group to include a joint research, development and technology sharing agreement.

‘The additional Agreement provides the framework under which PMI and Altria will collaborate to develop the next generation of e-vapor products for commercialization in the United States by Altria and in markets outside the United States by
PMI,’ PMI said in a note included in its second-quarter results announcement.

‘The collaboration between PMI and Altria in this endeavor is enabled by exclusive technology cross licenses and technical information sharing. The Joint Research, Development and Technology Sharing Agreement also provides for co-operation between PMI and Altria on scientific assessment, regulatory engagement and approval related to e-vapor products.

‘Under the existing strategic framework Agreements, Altria is making available its e-vapor products exclusively to PMI for commercialization outside the United States and PMI will make available two of its candidate reduced-risk tobacco products exclusively to Altria for commercialization in the United States.

‘It is envisaged that PMI’s candidate products would be regulated in the United States as Modified Risk Tobacco Products (MRPT) and any commercialization would be subject to U.S. Food and Drug Administration … authorization.

‘As previously announced, PMI expects to apply to the FDA during the course of 2016 for one of these two candidate reduced-risk products, its heat-not-burn iQOS product, to be approved as an MRTP.’

Altria, on its website, also announced the extension of the e-vapor agreement.