IQOS Science and Heat-not-Burn Technology

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We believe in science. We believe it can change the lives of millions of smokers, who would otherwise continue to smoke. To this effect, we recruited scientists to work on an important idea: developing less harmful products that cigarette smokers can switch to if they don’t quit. Hundreds of scientists and engineers at PMI’s global Research and Development centers in Switzerland and Singapore have developed and evaluated IQOS, an innovative electronic device that heats and not burns tobacco. It produces a tobacco vapor that delivers tobacco taste and nicotine.

IQOS has gone through robust scientific assessments, including, to-date, 18 non-clinical and 10 clinical studies involving thousands of participants.

The totality of evidence available shows that, while IQOS use is not risk-free, switching completely to IQOS presents less risk to your health than continuing to smoke cigarettes*.

Important information: IQOS is not risk-free and provides nicotine, which is addictive.

*Source: Based on the totality of evidence available for IQOS in comparison with continuing to smoke.

Over the years technlology has radically changed our lives for the better. The way we work, the way we communicate, the way we travel. By combining science and technology is how we developed a better alternative to continued smoking. IQOS is changing for the better the way adult smokers, who would otherwise continue to smoke.

IQOS heats tobacco instead of burning it for a simple reason: the burning of tobacco emits high amounts of harmful chemicals.

IQOS ILUMA SMARTCORE INDUCTION™ technology and IQOS HeatControl™ technology prevent tobacco from burning, which means they significantly reduce the number and level of harmful chemicals emitted compared to cigarette smoke.

Cigarettes burn tobacco, reaching high temperatures, and producing ash, tar, and smoke with high number and levels of harmful chemicals. Cigarette smoke is a complex mixture of over 6000 chemical substances, around 100 of which have been linked to smoking-related diseases by public health authorities.

IQOS ILUMA SMARTCORE INDUCTION SYSTEM™ technology and IQOS HeatControl™ technology heat tobacco to a lower temperature, ensuring that combustion does not occur. Because there is no combustion, IQOS does not produce smoke. It generates a tobacco vapour and on average 95% less harmful chemicals* compared to cigarette smoke.

Important information: It does not imply a 95% reduction in risk. IQOS is not risk-free.

* “95% less” represents the average reduction in levels of the 9 chemicals recommended for reduction in cigarette smoke by the World Health Organization, which do not include nicotine. See important information.

Tobacco vapour vs smoke

IQOS tobacco vapor is less harmful than cigarette smoke. To demonstrate this, we conducted a comprehensive assessment program that included 10 clinical studies on the effects of aerosol on the user's body (as well as data from 18 non-clinical studies), and involved thousands of participants in the US, Japan, UK and Poland. Evidence demonstrates that switching completely to IQOS, while not risk-free, is a better alternative to continuing to smoke cigarettes.

Our studies show that satisfaction with taste and use of IQOS in people who use IQOS exclusively is comparable to that of people who continue to smoke cigarettes.*

IQOS is not risk-free and delivers nicotine, which is addictive. The best decision any smoker can make is to quit tobacco and nicotine use altogether.

* 3-month clinical study conducted in US and Japan with 160 adult smokers each, under near real-world conditions.