Italy’s competition authority launched an investigation into Philip Morris Italia for allegedly misleading advertising related to its “smoke-free” electronic cigarettes. The probe, announced today (October 15), centers on the company’s use of phrases such as “a smoke-free future” and “smoke-free products,” which regulators say could mislead consumers into believing the products are harmless.
The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM), accompanied by financial police, searched two Philip Morris offices in Italy as part of the inquiry. The watchdog said that while these products do not involve combustion, they can still pose health risks and cause addiction.
“Philip Morris Italia believes it has always acted in full compliance with applicable regulations,” a PMI spokesperson said regarding the proceedings initiated the AGCM. “The company is confident that its communication is factual, truthful, and fully consistent with both Italian and European legislation, which associate the absence of smoke with the absence of combustion. Italian Legislative Decree No. 6/2016, which transposes EU Directive 2014/40/EU, defines in Article 2, paragraph 5, a ‘smoke-free tobacco product’ (‘smokeless tobacco product’ in the English version of the directive) as ‘a tobacco product that does not involve a combustion process.’
“The pursuit of a smoke-free future has been the primary global objective of Philip Morris International for nearly a decade—an ambition that the Italian affiliates have been working toward for years, alongside an integrated ‘Made in Italy’ value chain involving 44,000 people.
“The company will continue to cooperate with the Authority throughout the proceedings to demonstrate the full legitimacy of its actions.”
The move follows similar action in France earlier this year, where Philip Morris was fined €500,000 for promoting its IQOS heated tobacco device as safer under the classification of harm reduction.
