Iqos gets FDA authorization in the US
Jaklevic MC. First Tobacco Product Receives “Reduced Exposure” Authorization. JAMA. 18 August 2020; 324(7):622. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.13907
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2769451Iqos is a heated tobacco device holding “disposable tobacco-filled sticks wrapped in paper, which are marketed as Marlboro HeatSticks. They emit a nicotine-containing aerosol and differ from vaping devices, which use liquid.”
The FDA said its decision to grant “exposure modification” orders allows the company to claim in ads that the devices provide reduced exposure to tobacco compared with combusted cigarettes. It may state that scientific studies “have shown that switching completely from conventional cigarettes to the IQOS system significantly reduces the body’s exposure to harmful or potentially harmful chemicals.”
Comment: Two points: 1) Allowing harmful exposures, whether reduced or not, still allows harm through a harmful product, 2) Iqos has been marketed and used extensively in Japan and Korea but the smokers’ use is primarily with conventional cigarette use, so the idea that Iqos will be used exclusively instead of with conventional cigarettes is a fantasy, and calls into question FDA’s decision on this product from a tobacco company.
by Stephen Hamann
