From: Reuters via Channel News Asia
New Zealand court gives Philip Morris nod to sell heated tobacco product
A Wellington court gave the New Zealand unit of Philip Morris International the green light to sell its heated tobacco product, dismissing a case by the country’s health authorities.
Reporting by Marius Zaharia; editing by Diane Craft
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New Zealand’s Ministry of Health had argued the HEETS product would fall under the country’s “Smoke-free Environment Act’s” ban on tobacco products for chewing or any other oral use.
The product, known as IQOS, is a sleek, penlike device that heats tobacco but does not ignite it – an approach Philip Morris says produces far lower levels of carcinogens than regular cigarettes. It is used by nearly 4 million people in 30 markets outside the United States and needs Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorization to be marketed in America.