By Hwang Ga-yeon
Philip Morris has recently stressed again that IQOS (I Quit Ordinary Smoking) is less toxic than regular cigarettes, amid growing concerns over the safety of the U.S. cigarette company's tobacco heating system.
According to Mikael Franzon, the senior medical adviser to Philip Morris International, the heat-not-burn cigarette showed 90 percent average reductions in formation of harmful and potentially harmful constituents, compared to levels measured in smoke from the "3R4F reference cigarette."
The reference cigarette is a global standard for smoking-related experiments, which contains much higher tar than Korean cigarettes.
Philip Morris has claimed IQOS creates less of toxic chemicals because it heats the tobacco at a lower temperature than regular cigarettes do.
"Effects of cessation and the effects of switching to IQOS are extremely close," Franzon said in a recent press conference in Seoul.
The researcher compared three groups ― regular smokers, IQOS smokers and non-smokers ― for 90 days.
He said IQOS smokers showed reduced risks, similar to non-smokers in terms of exposure to carcinogenic substances such as carbon monoxide and benzene.
Franzon also emphasized the effect is valid only when HEETS and IQOS systems are used together.
"Philip Morris is a pioneer in this business," he said. "This is a perfectly technologically advanced product that no one has had before now."
The company, however, said it is not denying the negative health effects of IQOSs.
"Quitting is obviously the healthiest choice," Philip Morris Korea Executive Director Kim Byung-chul said. "We are willing to offer a better substitute for smokers who have failed to quit smoking and we want to give everyone a chance to understand our product's development process and its effects."
Philip Morris plans to share the raw data after completing a 12-month clinical trial of 1,100 smokers early next year.
Kim said the company has gone through both clinical and non-clinical tests.
The clinical trial has been conducted by government organizations so as to offer credibility.
The executive director also encouraged other tobacco companies to develop healthier products for consumers.
On top of the company's in-house research, the Korean government has carried out product safety research since August.
The results are expected to come out next year.
Hwang Ga-yeon is a Korea Times intern.
Philip Morris has recently stressed again that IQOS (I Quit Ordinary Smoking) is less toxic than regular cigarettes, amid growing concerns over the safety of the U.S. cigarette company's tobacco heating system.
According to Mikael Franzon, the senior medical adviser to Philip Morris International, the heat-not-burn cigarette showed 90 percent average reductions in formation of harmful and potentially harmful constituents, compared to levels measured in smoke from the "3R4F reference cigarette."
The reference cigarette is a global standard for smoking-related experiments, which contains much higher tar than Korean cigarettes.
Philip Morris has claimed IQOS creates less of toxic chemicals because it heats the tobacco at a lower temperature than regular cigarettes do.
"Effects of cessation and the effects of switching to IQOS are extremely close," Franzon said in a recent press conference in Seoul.
The researcher compared three groups ― regular smokers, IQOS smokers and non-smokers ― for 90 days.
He said IQOS smokers showed reduced risks, similar to non-smokers in terms of exposure to carcinogenic substances such as carbon monoxide and benzene.
Franzon also emphasized the effect is valid only when HEETS and IQOS systems are used together.
"Philip Morris is a pioneer in this business," he said. "This is a perfectly technologically advanced product that no one has had before now."
The company, however, said it is not denying the negative health effects of IQOSs.
"Quitting is obviously the healthiest choice," Philip Morris Korea Executive Director Kim Byung-chul said. "We are willing to offer a better substitute for smokers who have failed to quit smoking and we want to give everyone a chance to understand our product's development process and its effects."
Philip Morris plans to share the raw data after completing a 12-month clinical trial of 1,100 smokers early next year.
Kim said the company has gone through both clinical and non-clinical tests.
The clinical trial has been conducted by government organizations so as to offer credibility.
The executive director also encouraged other tobacco companies to develop healthier products for consumers.
On top of the company's in-house research, the Korean government has carried out product safety research since August.
The results are expected to come out next year.
Hwang Ga-yeon is a Korea Times intern.
