Philip Morris International (PMI) has published a position paper in response to the Eighth Session of the Conference of Parties (COP8) to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention of Tobacco Control (FCTC) that suggests embracing novel tobacco products, according to a company press release.

In the press release, PMI suggested that WHO, the COP8 conference delegates and that “the wider public health community” should support and see newer tobacco products or Next Generation Products (NGPs) as viable “alternatives to cigarettes in order to achieve the UN’s sustainable development goals for non-communicable diseases as quickly as possible”, as the number of smokers are expected to exceed one billion by 2025 worldwide.
In the response paper, the company wrote that newer tobacco and nicotine products have different health risks, are less harmful than traditional tobacco products and that smokers “who would otherwise continue to smoke” should be given the option of switching to one of these products, according to statement.
The company used Japan and the UK as examples of countries which have embraced NGPs and have also seen a decrease in smoking prevalence.
The company also said that methods to encourage “transparent interaction and consultation” between both governments and manufacturers of these products should be created.
The position paper can be found on PMI's website.