WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday said that it would permit the sale of IQOS, a “heat-not-burn” tobacco device made by Philip Morris International, in the United States. IQOS is a penlike electronic device that comes with a sleek battery pack resembling a cigarette case. An electronically controlled heating blade in the apparatus warms a tobacco stick, which releases a vapor with the taste of tobacco but fewer harmful chemicals than cigarette smoke. The agency said the decision did not mean that it was pronouncing the products “safe,” and that they still met the definition of cigarettes even though they released fewer toxins than traditional cigarettes. But the devices, the agency said, deliver “nicotine in levels close to combustible cigarettes suggesting a likelihood that IQOS users may be able to completely transition away from combustible cigarettes and use IQOS exclusively.” The agency said data provided by Philip Morris indicated that it appeared unlikely that non-tobacco users, including youths, would take up an IQOS device.

Source: International New York Times April 30, 2019 18:33 UTC