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Tag: Philip Morris International

  • PMI and KT&G to Partner on Submissions

    PMI and KT&G to Partner on Submissions

    Photo: KT&G

    Philip Morris International and KT&G will collaborate on regulatory submissions for KT&G heat-not-burn products in the United States. The companies have signed a memorandum of understanding.

    On Jan. 30, 2023, PMI obtained exclusive rights to commercialize KT&G’s smoke-free products outside South Korea.

    KT&G’s new platform products are expected to be launched first outside the U.S. Thereafter, the partners plan to work on a premarket tobacco product application submission for review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

    “We want every adult smoker who does not quit smoking to switch to a science-backed, better alternative for the benefit of their own and public health,” said PMI CEO Jacek Olczak in a statement.

    “The heat-not-burn category, with different tiers of FDA-authorized products, has a pivotal role to play in making cigarettes obsolete in the U.S.”

    KT&G “is currently pursuing global expansion and structural transformation centered on its three core businesses—next-generation products, overseas cigarettes, and health supplements,” said KT&G President Bang Kyung-man in a statement.

    “We will do our utmost to achieve our future vision of becoming global top-tier by leveraging innovative NGP products and scientific R&D capabilities that will be introduced to overseas markets.”

  • Eastern Sells Factory to PMI

    Eastern Sells Factory to PMI

    Image: Stephen Finn

    Eastern Co. will sell the land, buildings and currently rented equipment of its Factory No. 9 to United Tobacco Co. (UTC), a subsidiary of Philip Morris International, for EGP1.58 billion ($32.66 million), reports Ahram Online.

    According to an Eastern Co. statement to the Egyptian Exchange, the sales price was the average of three valuations offered by valuation companies.

    As part of the deal, UTC will waive its right to recollect the remaining annual rent value of the factory that was paid in full according to the rent contract that ends on April 26, 2026.

    Egypt is in the process of privatizing many state-owned companies. The government hopes to earn $5 billion from this program.

    In November 2023, Egypt’s Ministry of Public Enterprise sold a 30 percent stake in Eastern Co. to the United Arab Emirates’ Global Investment Holding Co. for EGP19.34 billion.

    In May 2024, PMI acquired an indirect 14.7 percent stake in Eastern Co.

  • IQOS’ U.S. Launch Postponed

    IQOS’ U.S. Launch Postponed

    Photo: A Stockphoto

    Philip Morris International has postponed the test launch of its IQOS heated-tobacco device in the U.S. to the fourth quarter, reports Reuters. The company declined to say why.

    The pilot was earlier scheduled to run in Austin, Texas, in the second quarter, for which the company reported results on the day.

    Anti-tobacco activists have been seeking to derail the U.S. introduction of IQOS, arguing among other things that PMI exaggerates the number of people who have quit smoking regular cigarettes using IQOS.

    In a joint letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration dated June 27, six health groups cited yet-to-be published independent studies contradicting PMI’s findings about how many IQOS users completely switch to the device from cigarettes.

    Meanwhile, PMI said the impact of the EU ban on flavored heated tobacco in the European Union has had a “slightly greater” impact on IQOS sales than previously assumed.

    This led the company to temper its expectations for volume growth in the heated-tobacco category to around 13 percent for the full year, down from between 14 percent and 16 percent expected earlier.

  • Smoke-free Product Sales Boost PMI Income

    Smoke-free Product Sales Boost PMI Income

    Photo: PMI

    Philip Morris International’s operating income jumped 34.2 percent to $3.44 billion for the quarter that ended June 30. On an adjusted basis, operating income rose 3.5 percent to $3.66 billion. Net revenues were $9.47 billion, compared with $8.97 billion in the comparable 2023 quarter.

    During the quarter, PMI shipped 157.6 billion cigarettes, 35.5 billion heated tobacco units and 4.2 billion oral smoke-free products, a category that excludes snuff, snuff leaf and U.S. chewing tobacco.

    The smoke-free business accounted for 38.1 percent of PMI’s total quarterly revenues, up 2.7 percentage points from the comparable 2023 period. Oral smoke free products experienced the largest volume gains, growing by 20 percent from second quarter last year.

    This growth was driven by primarily the popularity of Zyn nicotine pouches in the U.S., where shipments reached 135.1 million cans, representing growth of 50.3 percent versus the prior-year quarter. The company expect Zyn sales to reach 580 million cans in 2024.

    Scrambling to fulfill ferocious U.S. demand for Zyn, PMI recently announced a $600 million investment in a new nicotine pouch factory in Aurora, Colorado.

    Quarterly heated tobacco product sales were strong in Japan, following an expansion of the IQOS product range, as well as Greece, Hungary and Spain. In Japan, Philip Morris grew its market share for heated tobacco by more than 3 percentage points to more than 29  percent.

    The company will begin a trial of IQOS in Austin, Texas, USA, in the fourth quarter of this year, according to Chief Financial Officer Emmanuel Babeau.

    “The excellent momentum of our smoke-free business continued with an outstanding second-quarter and first-half performance,” said PMI CEO Jacek Olczak in a statement.

    “The powerful combination of excellent underlying performance and proactive measures across all categories enabled our business to outperform once again, and we are on track for a strong 2024. As a result, we are raising our full-year guidance, despite currency headwinds.”

  • PMI to Expand Zyn Production

    PMI to Expand Zyn Production

    Photo: PMI

    Philip Morris International will invest $600 million in in a factory in Aurora, Colorado, USA, to help meet U.S. consumers’ ferocious appetite for the company’s Zyn nicotine pouches. The factory is poised to begin operations by the end of next year with regular production starting in 2026.

    “PMI and its U.S. affiliates are accelerating their mission to move adults who smoke away from cigarettes in the U.S. by investing in new U.S. manufacturing capacity to meet the increasing demand for nicotine options that are scientifically substantiated as better alternatives,” said PMI Americas President and U.S. CEO Stacey Kennedy in a statement.

    “We believe Colorado is likeminded in its commitment to innovation, economic opportunity and public health, and we’re eager to work with the state and its talented workforce as we expand our U.S. manufacturing presence.”

    Sales of Zyn jumped 80 percent in the first quarter, leaving PMI struggling to keep up with demand. Retail stores have been experiencing Zyn shortages, with some even limiting the number of cans customers can buy each month.

    Supply was further constrained after the company decided to halt online sales nationwide in June following a subpoena in the District of Columbia asking for information on the sale of flavored pouch products that are banned there.

    PMI is also increasing production of Zyn at its factory in Owensboro, Kentucky. In addition to meeting U.S. demand, the investments will also help create capacity for exports, according to PMI.

    Zyn accounted for more than 70 percent of the $8.6 billion nicotine pouch market in 2023, according to Vaping360. Given the relatively young age of the category, there is little brand loyalty, and analysts believe continued supply constraints may prompt some consumers to defect to other brands.

  • Health Groups Contest IQOS Quit Rates

    Health Groups Contest IQOS Quit Rates

    Photo: Arkadiusz Fajer

    Anti-tobacco activists are questioning Philip Morris International’s figures on the number of people who have quit smoking using the company’s bestselling heat-not-burn device, IQOS, reports Reuters.

    The move comes as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering PMI’s application for renewal of its IQOS3 exposure modification order, along with the company’s premarket tobacco product applications for IQOS Iluma and request for permission to make reduced exposure claims for that product.

    In a joint letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, dated June 27, six health groups, including the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Lung Association, cited yet-to-be published independent studies contradicting PMI’s findings about how many IQOS users completely switch to the device from cigarettes.

    According to letter writers, the International Tobacco Control Project (ITC) at Canada’s University of Waterloo found a far lower rate of IQOS users had quit smoking in Japan and Korea than estimates from PMI.

    PMI estimates more than seven out of 10 of its registered IQOS customers globally have quit cigarettes. A 2023 PMI application to the FDA emphasized that the majority of IQOS users were using IQOS exclusively.

    However, the ITC’s researchers put the percentage of all IQOS users that had quit smoking at just 15 percent in Japan and 30 percent in Korea in 2021.

    Users most commonly used IQOS and cigarettes simultaneously, often leading to an overall increase in tobacco consumption, the ITC researchers found.

    PMI pointed to a 2019 Japanese government health survey, where 75 percent of respondents who reported using heated tobacco said they did not smoke.

    However, a paper published this year, led by researchers from Georgetown University, highlighted flaws in the government’s survey, including changes to the question format that can lead to under-reporting of smoking.

    Other surveys have also found higher rates of dual use than the government, it said.

    In addition to questioning the smoking cessation rates quoted by PMI, the health groups accused the multinational of making deceptive statements wrongly suggesting that the FDA has found IQOS reduced the risk of disease, citing examples of such statements in the U.S., Kazakhstan, the Philippines and Mexico.

    A PMI spokesperson told Reuters the language flagged by campaigners was, in the company’s view, compatible with the FDA’s orders.

    “Wherever we discuss our science and our products, we do so in accordance with all applicable laws,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying.

  • PMI Suspends Zyn Sales Due to DC Probe

    PMI Suspends Zyn Sales Due to DC Probe

    Photo: Swedish MAtch

    Philip Morris International halted sales of Zyn nicotine pouches on its U.S. website as Washington, D.C., officials investigate the company’s compliance with the district’s ban on the sale of flavored tobacco products, reports The Wall Street Journal.

    On June 17, the company’s Swedish Match North America division announced it had received a subpoena from the District of Columbia’s attorney general, requesting among other things information about the unit’s compliance with local restrictions on flavored tobacco.

    A preliminary investigation by the company indicated that there had indeed been sales of flavored nicotine pouch products in the district. According to PMI, these related predominantly to certain online sales platforms and some independent retailers.

    Swedish Match is currently conducting a full review of its sales and supply chain arrangement in D.C. and other U.S. localities where flavor bans apply.

    Pending the investigation, PMI has suspended all online sales on Zyn.com. Sales on this platform have represented “a very small” percentage of the company’s U.S. Zyn volumes, according to PMI.

    In the March quarter, Philip Morris’ shipment volumes of oral smoke-free product volumes surged by 40 percent, mainly driven by Zyn nicotine pouches in the U.S., where shipment volume reached 131.6 million cans.

    Zyn has been available in the U.S. since 2014, but its sales have skyrocketed over the past year and a half, and its parent company is investing in Zyn capacity in the U.S.

    Philip Morris bought Swedish Match in a $16 billion deal in 2022 as the company looked to reduce its reliance on cigarettes amid stricter regulations and a consumer shift toward alternatives to tobacco and traditional cigarettes.

  • PMI Acquires Minority Stake in Eastern Co.

    PMI Acquires Minority Stake in Eastern Co.

    Photo: artmim

    Philip Morris International has acquired 14.7 percent of Eastern Co., reports Egypt Today.

    PMI and Eastern reportedly seek to explore potential strategic areas for collaboration in technology, manufacturing and innovation.

    “We look forward to exploring potential areas of cooperation with Eastern, including opportunities to provide adult smokers in Egypt with better options than cigarettes,” said Fred de Wilde, PMI president for South and Southeast Asia, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Middle East and Africa, in a statement.

    In November, Global Investment Holdings, an investment firm based in the United Arab Emirates, paid EGP16.4 billion ($531.6 million) for 669 million shares in Eastern Co.

    Eastern Co.’s primary shareholders include the state-owned Holding Company for Chemical Industries (20.9 percent), the Allan Gray Equity Fund (7.2 percent) and the shareholders union of the Eastern Co. (6 percent), with the remaining 36 percent of shares trading freely on the stock exchange.

    Egypt has been selling stakes in 35 state-owned companies through offering shares to strategic investors.

    Eastern Co. is Egypt’s largest cigarette manufacturer, with a portfolio that also includes cigars and pipe tobacco, among other products.

  • PMI Opens Factory in Ukraine’s Lviv Region

    PMI Opens Factory in Ukraine’s Lviv Region

    Photo: Vitezslav Vylicil

    Philip Morris International opened a $30 million cigarette factory in Ukraine’s Lviv region, creating 250 jobs, reports Interfax.

    According to a company press release, the factory will have five production lines. The first started operating in May, the second should be launched in June and the rest before the end of the year, bringing the factory’s annual production capacity to 10 billion cigarettes, enough to meet the Ukrainian demand.

    PMI has no plans to export from the facility, which currently employs about 100 people from the company’s Kharkiv factory, which was mothballed in the wake of Russia’s 2022 military invasion.

    PMI has invested about $750 million in Ukraine since entering the market in 1994.

    Before opening the Lviv facility, PMI supplied to Ukraine from eight factories outside the country.

    The company reduced shipments to Ukraine by 30.1 percent to 11.07 billion cigarettes and heated-tobacco units in 2022. In 2023, it increased shipments to the country by 8.4 percent.

    The cigarette manufacturer controls almost a quarter of the Ukrainian cigarette market.

  • MRTP Renewal Application Filed

    MRTP Renewal Application Filed

    Photo: elenavah

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on May 9 filed for scientific review modified risk tobacco product (MRTP) renewal applications submitted by Philip Morris Products for the following IQOS products: 

    • IQOS 2.4 System Holder and Charger
    • IQOS 3.0 System Holder and Charger
    • Marlboro Amber HeatSticks (formerly named Marlboro HeatSticks)
    • Marlboro Green Menthol HeatSticks (formerly named Marlboro Smooth Menthol HeatSticks)
    • Marlboro Blue Menthol HeatSticks (formerly named Marlboro Fresh Menthol HeatSticks)

    In 2020 and 2022, the FDA issued modified risk granted orders for products. These orders are valid for a fixed time period. To continue marketing the MRTPs after the authorized term, the company submitted MRTP renewal applications to FDA.

    Starting May 10, 2024, people may submit public comments on these applications on regulations.gov to docket FDA-2021-N-0408 for the IQOS 3.0 device and docket FDA-2017-D-3001 for the IQOS 2.4 device and the Marlboro HeatSticks products.

    The FDA will post application documents, including amendments; given that the documents will need to be redacted for any confidential information, they will be posted on the Center for Tobacco Products’ website on a rolling basis.

    Once all materials for these MRTP applications, including amendments, have been made publicly available, FDA will announce a closing date for the comment period. The closing date will be no earlier than 180 days from the date of the Federal Register notice and at least 30 days from the date FDA posts the last application materials.