April 24, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] Philip Morris Korea said on June 18 that switching to its heat-not-burn device IQOS reduces health risks compared with continued smoking, citing its six-month clinical study amid controversy over harmful substances from the smoke-free product.

According to its study, eight measures of biological response improved in those who switched to IQOS. The study compared 496 people who switched to IQOS and 488 people who continued smoking cigarettes for six months in the United States.

“This study is the first ever clinical study of this magnitude to assess the risk-reduction potential of a smoke-free product,” Manuel Peitsch, Philip Morris International’s chief scientific officer, said during a press conference in Seoul.

The cited clinical risk endpoints were associated with diseases, including heart and lung, covering multiple organ systems, disease pathways, and biological mechanisms, the company said.

The presentation came two weeks after Korean health authorities announced that five carcinogens were found in heat-not-burn tobacco products sold in the local market, adding the level of tar detected in some products exceeded that of conventional cigarettes.

Last month, the Korean unit of the global tobacco giant said it has sold 1.9 million units of IQOS since its launch last year, adding that 1 million Korean smokers are estimated to have switched to the smoke-free product.

By Song Seung-hyun and newswires (ssh@heraldcorp.com)