Following the resolution by the Ministry of Health of the Nation which prohibited the marketing of heated tobacco in Argentina, the multinational Philip Morris suspended a planned investment of 300 million dollars to produce them in the Merlo plant, in the province of Buenos Aires.
Through a press release, Massalin Particulares – the local Philip Morris branch – announced that it had decided to suspend the project which envisaged an expansion of the plant where it intended to produce these alternatives to cigarettes and which, moreover, would have given the possibility of exporting for more than $100 million a year.
“Beyond the impact on the investment project, the decision limits the possibility of providing the 7 million adult smokers in the country Different alternatives to the conventional cigarette, based on science and authorized by various health agencies and authorities around the world. This is a resolution that insulates Argentina from the world’s progress in this area,” the statement read.
Heated tobacco and related heating devices provide an alternative for the more than 1,000 million adult smokers worldwide, as described in the company. These are devices that allow tobacco to be heated instead of burning it and thus eliminating combustion, which is the main problem associated with smoking.
Philip Morris International is one of the companies that markets this type of alternative all over the world. IQOS, the heated tobacco device marketed by Philip Morris International group subsidiaries, is now available Present in 73 markets and has more than 24 million users all over the world.
From the company they ensure that “the decision of the Ministry of Health is to the detriment of investments, science and technology. Argentina had the opportunity to be considered for an investment of over 300 million dollars and to create hundreds of registered, empty and quality jobs. However, these kinds of isolated, non-science-based initiatives and the data continues to deteriorate both true private and direct investment and Argentina’s strategic position as a place to do business.”
Argentina, the exception to the international rules
In the United States, one of the most recognized bodies globally, the FDA, authorized the marketing of Philip Morris International IQOS in 2019. Reinforcing this decision, in 2020 the same agency allowed the marketing of IQOS as a modified risk product with the wording: “According to the evidence available to date: the IQOS system heats the tobacco but does not burn it” or “This significantly reduces the production of harmful and potentially harmful chemicals”.
Another example is the case of the United Kingdom, where the country’s health agency has concluded that “Compared to cigarettes, heated tobacco products have the potential to expose users to lower levels of harmful and potentially harmful chemicals”.
In Latin America there is the case of Uruguay, where a few months ago, through Decree no. 87/021, the differentiated nature of heated tobacco products has been recognized and framed in the current tobacco legislation. The regulation indicates that “there are electronic nicotine delivery devices that use a technology by which dry tobacco is heated, for which there is scientific data indicating that they result in less exposure of users to associated toxic substances .” to the traditional use of tobacco.
Source: Clarin
