Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) faces the possibility of having imports of its IQOS heated-tobacco sticks to the US blocked as early as November in an intensifying legal battle with British American Tobacco Plc (BAT) over cigarette alternatives, reports Bloomberg.

BAT’s subsidiary Reynolds American Inc. seeks to block imports of the sticks, claiming that the tobacco heating technology used in IQOS devices infringed its patents. The six-day trial at the US International Trade Commission in Washington, D.C. began 25 January, with a judge expected to release his findings in May, the report said.
PMI’s IQOS device is the only heat-not-burn product to be authorised for sale in the U.S., where it’s marketed by Altria Group Inc.. Reynolds and Altria have accused each other of infringing patents for things like the pod assembly, charging case and flavour enhancements.
According to the report, Altria and PMI have argued that, even if infringement is found, IQOS is important to reduce smoking and shouldn’t be excluded from the US market.