PMI Releases Scientific Update
Philip Morris International (PMI) released the latest issue of its Scientific Update, a publication devoted to research efforts to develop and assess a range of smoke-free alternatives to cigarettes as well as products beyond nicotine.
In this issue, PMI reviews milestones from 2020, examines advances in multiple fields of research arising from its smoke-free product assessments and discusses the company’s new research initiatives. Announced in February of this year, these initiatives focus on products that contain neither tobacco nor nicotine, with initial areas of exploration including respiratory drug delivery and botanicals.
These efforts run in parallel to PMI’s ongoing work to phase out cigarettes by encouraging those adults who would otherwise continue to smoke to switch to less harmful smoke-free products.
“With our work in these new areas, we are looking to contribute to a better future. We have a lot to offer the world, and it would be inconsistent with our scientific mission not to use our knowledge to expand into new solutions-based areas such as respiratory drug delivery and botanical products,” said Jorge Insuasty, chief life sciences officer, in a statement. “We are leveraging those areas in which we have strong research and technology expertise to strengthen our business while making a difference for society.”
The May 2021 issue of the Scientific Update also details some of the ways in which PMI’s ongoing research is impacting various fields of science. These include developing a better understanding of the human airway, research and development on aerosols for inhalation, advancing methods in toxicology and working to minimize animal studies in scientific research, among other examples.
Several science-related milestones from 2020 are also reviewed, including the decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to authorize the marketing of the IQOS tobacco-heating system as a modified-risk tobacco product with reduced exposure information. Another milestone is the creation of PMI’s Open Science online conference series, an ongoing program in which PMI scientists present their research and answer audience questions live. The next event—“The Challenge of Measuring the Use of Nicotine-Containing Products”—will take place on June 10.