In doing so, the agency found that an IQOS exposure modification order is appropriate to promote the public health. The FDA authorised the marketing of IQOS with the following information:

• The IQOS System heats tobacco but does not burn it
• This significantly reduces the production of harmful and potentially harmful chemicals
• Scientific studies have shown that switching completely from conventional cigarettes to the IQOS system reduces your body’s exposure to harmful or potentially harmful chemicals.

What does the FDA authorisation means for Mzansi?

If anything, the decision by the FDA confirms and highlights the fact that all tobacco and nicotine-containing products are not the same. Policy and regulation in South Africa should reflect this.

We reached out to PMI for comment on this and this what they had to say:

We encourage the South African government to follow a science-based approach in their policy-making. Today almost 11 million adults in South Africa smoke. While quitting tobacco and nicotine altogether is their best choice, most don’t. Adopting a similar regulatory approach to the U.S. FDA by recognising that tobacco products exist on a continuum of risk will allow adult smokers to have access to and receive information about a product that is a better choice than continuing to smoke cigarettes.

The company says it has opened 26 new IQOS retail stores since launching in South Africa in April 2017, with 15 of these being opened last year alone.

Existing stores are concentrated in the major shopping malls of Cape Town, Durban and Gauteng. The company opened its first store at the V&A Waterfront in 2018. In June 2019, the IQOS flagship store opened for trading in Sandton City. It also opened kiosks in Gateway Mall in Umhlanga and Maponya Mall in Soweto.

Globally, Philip Morris International (PMI) has publicly announced its intention to replace cigarettes with smoke-free alternatives as soon as possible. The company classifies IQOS as a heated tobacco product or a smoke-free product since it doesn’t burn tobacco and produces no smoke.

According to Marcelo Nico, PMSA’s Managing Director, “Despite challenging economic conditions, we’re investing to bring better, smoke-free alternatives to South Africa’s 10 million adult smokers. Our total investment from 2017 to 2020 will exceed R650 million and we plan to continue investing in the years to come. This underlines our ongoing commitment to the South African economy.”

Philip Morris SA has prioritised local service providers and will continue to do so as it expands. He adds that the retail stores are designed to provide adult smokers “with an immersive experience that showcases the product’s science and how it differs from cigarettes and vapes”.

The 160sqm store’s interior is minimalistic, fresh and draws cues from Scandinavian design and other IQOS flagship boutiques around the world like: London, Tokyo, Milan and Monaco to name a few. It’s a first for tobacco companies to set up retail stores and offer extraordinary customer experiences. We recently visited the Sandton City store for a first-hand experience.

IQOS is better alternative than cigarettes for adult smokers who would otherwise continue smoking. But what makes it a better alternative? IQOS heats real tobacco instead of liquids, and *emits 95% lower levels of harmful chemicals compared to cigarettes. While it provides tobacco taste satisfaction, it doesn’t produce cigarette smoke smell, second hand smoke or ash. IQOS is not risk free. It delivers nicotine which is addictive. Globally, over 7 million smokers across 47 countries have fully switched to IQOS.

The company introduced the product in the Sandton, north of Johannesburg recently, describing it as a small electronic gadget that works by vaporizing tobacco rather than burning it. By doing this, per the claims, users are able to inhale the same amount of nicotine as they get from a cigarette, but without all the toxins and carcinogens in tobacco smoke.

The new IQOS 3 and IQOS 3 MULTI delivers a premium tobacco experience with simplified usability, personalization and taste from real tobacco rather than liquid.

The new products have new features including; a simplified user interface, smaller holder and charger and a more sophisticated design, while the revolutionary IQOS 3 MULTI provides 10 consecutive uses without needing to be recharged. The products have also been made more functional with its smaller holder and charging innovations as well as state-of-the-art design and premium feel.

Philip Morris International is the world’s largest global tobacco company, and it has been facing growing business hurdles. Social attitudes toward smoking have changed greatly in the past few decades, and regulators are increasingly rolling out new rules that make life harder for tobacco companies and smokers alike.

Circling back to iQOS, Philip Morris says it spent $3 billion and over ten years on smokeless research that ultimately produced the product, among other things. The company claims the vapor produced by this device has sub-10% the level of carcinogens found in tobacco smoke.

The iQOS device itself costs about R1800, and it utilizes tobacco sticks, which resemble cigarettes. These tobacco sticks are sold in packs of 20, just like cigarettes. Both the IQOS 3 and IQOS 3 MULTI  will be available for pre-order on the 24th of November and on shelf from the IQOS Kiosks and stores from 3rd December.