The Launch of the Most Advanced Version of IQOS, the World’s Leading Heated Tobacco Product, Will Help Accelerate Adult Smokers to Switch from Cigarettes to better Alternatives in Lebanon
LEBANON, Feb. 20, 2020 — Philip Morris International (PMI) (NYSE: PM), the global leader in innovative, scientifically substantiated smoke-free products, today introduced IQOS 3 DUO, the company’s most advanced heated tobacco product, in the Lebanese market.
Commenting on the announcement, Taylan Suer, Philip Morris Lebanon’s General Manager, said “Our goal is to develop better alternatives to adult smokers, like IQOS, which delivers nicotine with 95% lower levels of harmful chemicals.1: It is important to note that it does not necessarily equal a 95% reduction in risk. IQOS is not risk-free.
IQOS heats tobacco instead of burning it, with no smoke, no ash and less lingering smell. The device uses a ceramic blade to heat tobacco to a precisely controlled temperature range below 350OC to release a nicotine containing vapor. Innovative tobacco and nicotine products that are backed by solid science can play a key role in reducing the harm caused by smoking cigarettes for the benefit of public health and society at large.”
“The launch of IQOS 3 DUO in Lebanon affirms our commitment to invest in the development and commercialization of scientifically substantiated products that provide a better alternative to adult smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke cigarettes,” said Jacek Olczak, Chief Operating Officer of PMI. “IQOS is now available in 52 markets, and nearly 10 million adult smokers worldwide have already switched to this smoke-free product and abandoned cigarettes.”
The IQOS 3 DUO is designed with new features to help adult smokers who would otherwise continue smoking to switch and leave cigarettes behind. Featuring the fastest and most powerful holder within the IQOS family, it allows two consecutive uses without recharging the holder.
Suer added that “The best choice for smokers is to quit tobacco and nicotine containing products entirely. Our goal is to be able to offer adult smokers who would otherwise continue smoking scientifically substantiated better alternatives to cigarettes.”
IQOS 3 DUO will be available from official IQOS authorized retailers in Lebanon from February 18. IQOS users will also benefit from PMI’s customer care infrastructure which aims to ensure a smooth transition and an improved user experience.
To date, PMI has invested more than a decade and USD 6 billion in the scientific research, development and commercialization of its growing portfolio of advanced smoke-free products. Over 400 leading scientists, engineers and experts work on the development, research and scientific substantiation of smoke-free products. PMI has stated its aim that by 2025 at least 40 million smokers of PMI’s cigarettes who would otherwise continue to smoke will have switched to smoke-free products, and that at least 30 percent of its total shipment volume will come from smoke-free products.
On average, 70 percent of the smokers who switch to IQOS abandon cigarettes. 2
It is important to note that IQOS is not risk-free and it delivers nicotine, which is addictive.
1Average reductions in levels of a broad range of harmful chemicals (excluding nicotine) compared to the smoke of a reference cigarette (3R4F).
2 Source: PMI financials or estimates, IQOS user panels and PMI market research.