Advertisement

Header Utility Menu

  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Events

LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Instagram Get Our App

  • Login

Virginia Business

Mobile Menu

  • Issues
  • Industries
    • Banking/Finances
    • Business Law
    • Commercial Real Estate
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Energy/Green
    • Federal Contracting
    • Government
    • Healthcare
    • Hotels/Tourism
    • Insurance
    • Ports/Trade
    • Small Business
    • Technology
    • Transportation
  • Regions
    • Central Virginia
    • Eastern Virginia
    • Northern Virginia
    • Roanoke/New River Valley
    • Shenandoah Valley
    • Southern Virginia
    • Southwest Virginia
  • Reports
    • Best Places to Work
    • Business Person of the Year
    • CEO Pay
    • Coronavirus 2020
    • Generous Virginians Project
    • Legal Elite
    • Most Influential Virginians
    • Maritime Guide
    • Site Locator
    • The Big Book
    • Virginia CFO Awards
  • Company News
    • For the Record
    • People
  • Opinion
  • Lists
  • Awards/Events
    • Diversity Leadership Series
    • Vote Now for Women in Leadership
    • Virginia 500
    • Legal Elite
    • CFO Awards
    • Big Book of Lists
    • 100 People To Meet
    • Best Places To Work
  • Virginia 500
    • Read the issue
    • Order a copy
    • Buy an award plaque
    • Nominate execs for 2021

Advertisement

Header Primary Menu

  • virginiabusiness.com
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Home News Altria brings IQOS heated tobacco product to U.S.

Altria brings IQOS heated tobacco product to U.S.

Published October 30, 2019 by Richard Foster

The IQOS device heats paper-wrapped tobacco sticks to generate an aerosol containing nicotine. AP Photo

In the wake of their aborted reunion, Henrico County-based Altria Group Inc. embarked on a new venture with spinoff company Philip Morris International Inc. to introduce its IQOS heated tobacco products for sale in the U.S. market.

“After much deliberation, the companies have agreed to focus on launching IQOS in the United States as part of their mutual interest to achieve a smoke-free future,” Philip Morris International CEO André Calantzopoulos said in a late September announcement acknowledging that merger talks had ended between the two companies.

The companies launched IQOS for U.S. sale in early October out of a mall storefront in Atlanta, where they are test-marketing the device. IQOS, which heats tobacco into an aerosol, produces “fewer or lower levels of some toxins than combustible cigarettes,” according to the Food and Drug Administration, which approved it for sale in the United States in April.

Popular in Russia and Japan, IQOS was introduced by Philip Morris International in 2014. Available in 48 overseas markets, it has about 8 million users.

IQOS’ introduction into the U.S. comes amid uproar over an epidemic of teen use of vaping products that has largely been blamed on San Francisco-based Juul Labs Inc., a company in which Altria holds a 35% stake. In September, Juul Labs CEO Kevin Burns stepped down and was replaced by K.C. Crosthwaite, Altria Group’s former chief growth officer.

There has also been a wave of mysterious lung ailments partly linked to vaping THC via bootleg devices that by mid-October had resulted in 33 deaths in 24 states (including Virginia) and nearly 1,500 illnesses nationwide, with many occurring among teens and young adults.

In a statement, Philip Morris International noted that global data, based on four years of international sales, demonstrates that IQOS is “not significantly appealing to youth or to nonsmokers.” Unlike Juul’s marketing practices, Altria says it has no plans to sell IQOS online or advertise it via social media influencers. Also, it’s only available in tobacco flavor and two menthol flavors.

A longtime Fortune 500 company listed among the S&P 500, Altria is the parent company of Richmond-based tobacco products manufacturer Philip Morris USA, best known for its Marlboro cigarettes brand.

Altria spun off Philip Morris International in 2008. Based in New York, it is also a Fortune 500 company and manufactures Marlboro cigarettes and other tobacco products and brands for sale in more than 180 nations outside the United States.

Related Stories

No related posts.

Trending

Finance/Insurance: STEPHAN Q. CASSADAY

Finance/Insurance: PAUL B. MANNING

Federal Contractors/Technology: JASON PROVIDAKES

Education: ANNE M. KRESS

Artemis I to launch with help from Va. contractors

Sponsored Stories

Why is my Less Than Truckload (LTL) freight pricing going up and my service level going down?  

Beyond Juneteenth – How Capital One is Commemorating and Implementing Change

How We Help Your Business Operate Better

Before the Breach: Get Serious About Cyber Resilience

Professionals are Discovering What it Means to Live Uniquely in the Alleghany Highlands of Virginia

Riverside Logistics Celebrates 25th Anniversary!

Girls for a Change Empowers Black Youth for the Future Workforce

The Jackson Ward Collective is equipping Black-owned small businesses with the tools for success

Advertisement

Advertisement

Trending

Finance/Insurance: STEPHAN Q. CASSADAY

Finance/Insurance: PAUL B. MANNING

Federal Contractors/Technology: JASON PROVIDAKES

Education: ANNE M. KRESS

Artemis I to launch with help from Va. contractors

Sponsored Stories

Why is my Less Than Truckload (LTL) freight pricing going up and my service level going down?  

Beyond Juneteenth – How Capital One is Commemorating and Implementing Change

How We Help Your Business Operate Better

Before the Breach: Get Serious About Cyber Resilience

Professionals are Discovering What it Means to Live Uniquely in the Alleghany Highlands of Virginia

Riverside Logistics Celebrates 25th Anniversary!

Girls for a Change Empowers Black Youth for the Future Workforce

The Jackson Ward Collective is equipping Black-owned small businesses with the tools for success

Get Virginia Business directly on your tablet or in your mailbox!

Subscribe to Virginia Business

Advertisement

Advertisement

Footer Primary Menu

  • virginiabusiness.com
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Footer Secondary Menu

  • Industries
  • Regions
  • Reports
  • Company News
  • Events

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Sign Up

LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Instagram Get Our App

Privacy Policy Cookie Policy

Footer Utility Menu

Copyright © 2023 Virginia Business. All rights reserved.

Site Maintained by TechArk