Philip Morris International (PMI) has sealed its controversial 1-billion-pound takeover of asthma inhaler maker Vectura after winning the backing of about 75 per cent of shareholders in the British company, reports The Guardian.

Vectura shareholders had until 15 September to decide whether to support the 165 pence-per-share bid from PMI, the report said. The takeover of a respiratory disease specialist by a cigarette manufacturer has caused outrage among charities and health experts around the world. However, the maker of the well-known Marlboro brand has argued that its transition away from cigarettes forces it to enter fields like respiratory medicine where it already has some expertise." “We are very excited about the critical role Vectura will play in our Beyond Nicotine strategy and look forward to working with Vectura’s scientists and providing them with the resources and expertise to grow their business to help us achieve our goal of generating at least USD 1 billion in net revenues from Beyond Nicotine products by 2025," PMI Chief Executive Jacek Olczak was quoted as saying.