September 3 2020

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decision: a new milestone for IQOS.

A key milestone: the FDA concludes that switching completely to IQOS reduces your body’s exposure to harmful or potentially harmful chemicals*.

On July 7, 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a government agency responsible for protecting public health, made a historic decision concerning IQOS. It authorized IQOS and three HeatSticks variants, to be marketed in the US as a modified risk tobacco product (MRTP), with a reduced exposure claim.

IQOS is the first and only tobacco heating system that has completed the US FDA Modified Risk Tobacco Product application process, concluding that switching completely to IQOS reduces your body’s exposure to harmful or potentially harmful chemicals*.

The FDA’s decision came after several years of reviews of the scientific evidence available on IQOS.

After having reviewed the totality of scientific evidence available for IQOS, the US FDA concluded that:

IQOS heats tobacco but does not burn it.

The absence of combustion significantly reduces the production of harmful or potentially harmful chemicals.

Scientific studies have shown that switching completely from cigarettes to IQOS significantly reduces your body’s exposure to harmful or potentially harmful chemicals**.

The FDA’s decision shows that IQOS is a fundamentally different product compared to cigarettes. IQOS is a better choice for adults who would otherwise continue smoking. Unlike cigarettes, which burn tobacco, IQOS heats it instead. This significantly reduces the production of harmful or potentially harmful chemicals compared to cigarette smoke.

For the past 10 years, Philip Morris International built a team of more than 400 scientists and R&D experts and significantly invested towards one goal: creating an alternative to cigarettes for those adult smokers who want a better choice than continued smoking.

So Philip Morris International is proud to celebrate this milestone on its journey, and continue delivering on its promises.

Important information: IQOS is not risk-free. It delivers nicotine, which is addictive.

*Source: PMI 3-month reduced exposure studies conducted in Japan and the US in near real-world conditions. These studies measured exposure to 15 harmful chemicals, and compared the levels observed in smokers who switched to IQOS with levels measured in smokers who continued to smoke cigarettes. 

**Source: FDA’s marketing order for the IQOS system dated July 7, 2020.