Agreement Provides
Long-Term Exclusive Rights for PMI to Commercialize KT&G’s
Innovative Smoke-Free Products Outside South Korea
PMI and KT&G Call
on Regulators in Korea and Around the World to Leverage Better
Alternatives to Cigarettes to Reduce Cigarette Use
Regulatory News:
Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) (NYSE: PM) today
announces a long-term collaboration with KT&G, South Korea’s
leading tobacco and nicotine manufacturer, to continue to
commercialize KT&G’s innovative smoke-free devices and
consumables on an exclusive, worldwide basis (excluding South
Korea). It builds on three years of successful collaboration that
has seen PMI commercialize KT&G’s products in more than 30
markets.
The agreement covers fifteen years, to January 29, 2038, with
performance-review cycles and associated commitments, based on
volume, to be confirmed for each three-year period, to allow
flexibility for evolving market conditions. PMI and KT&G expect
these commitments to increase over the full duration of the
agreement, starting with a total commitment for the first
three-year period equivalent to 16 billion consumables.
“We have been pleased with the success of our cooperation with
KT&G so far and believe a long-term collaboration will
accelerate the achievement of a smoke-free future. We want everyone
who does not quit smoking to switch to a better alternative, for
the benefit of their own health, public health, and society at
large,” said Jacek Olczak, PMI’s Chief Executive Officer.
“We will achieve a smoke-free future faster if all people who
smoke have access to better alternatives and accurate information
about these innovative products. Together with KT&G we are
calling on regulators, scientists and health professionals
everywhere, including in Korea, to embrace the potential of these
technological innovations to shift smokers away from
cigarettes.”
“Since we began our transformation, millions of smokers have
switched to our smoke-free products and quit cigarettes entirely.
KT&G’s lil products play a complementary role to IQOS, the
world’s leading heat-not-burn product, and our continued
collaboration will provide adult smokers around the world with more
options to leave cigarettes behind. Korea is a global leader in
science and innovation, and today marks an important milestone that
clears the path for a better future. With KT&G’s technology and
speed of innovation and PMI’s science and commercial
infrastructure, we believe our partnership will accelerate our
shared vision of a smoke free future.”
The agreement gives PMI continued exclusive access to KT&G’s
smoke-free brands and product-innovation pipeline, including
offerings for low- and middle-income markets, that will enhance
PMI’s existing portfolio of smoke-free products. It gives KT&G
continued access to PMI’s global commercial infrastructure and
experience commercializing smoke-free products to support the
further expansion of KT&G’s smoke-free business outside South
Korea.
Products sold under the agreement will be subject to assessment
to ensure they meet the regulatory requirements in the markets
where they are launched, as well as PMI’s high standards of quality
and scientific substantiation. PMI and KT&G will seek any
necessary regulatory approvals that may be required on a
market-by-market basis.
Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements
This press release contains projections of future results and
goals and other forward-looking statements, including statements
regarding business plans and strategies. Achievement of future
results is subject to risks, uncertainties and inaccurate
assumptions. In the event that risks or uncertainties materialize,
or underlying assumptions prove inaccurate, actual results could
vary materially from those contained in such forward-looking
statements. Pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, PMI is identifying
important factors that, individually or in the aggregate, could
cause actual results and outcomes to differ materially from those
contained in any forward-looking statements made by PMI.
PMI's business risks include: excise tax increases and
discriminatory tax structures; increasing marketing and regulatory
restrictions that could reduce our competitiveness, eliminate our
ability to communicate with adult consumers, or ban certain of our
products in certain markets or countries; health concerns relating
to the use of tobacco and other nicotine-containing products and
exposure to environmental tobacco smoke; litigation related to
tobacco use and intellectual property; intense competition; the
effects of global and individual country economic, regulatory and
political developments, natural disasters and conflicts; the impact
and consequences of Russia's invasion of Ukraine; changes in adult
smoker behavior; the impact of COVID-19 on PMI's business; lost
revenues as a result of counterfeiting, contraband and cross-border
purchases; governmental investigations; unfavorable currency
exchange rates and currency devaluations, and limitations on the
ability to repatriate funds; adverse changes in applicable
corporate tax laws; adverse changes in the cost, availability, and
quality of tobacco and other agricultural products and raw
materials, as well as components and materials for our electronic
devices; and the integrity of its information systems and
effectiveness of its data privacy policies. PMI's future
profitability may also be adversely affected should it be
unsuccessful in its attempts to produce and commercialize
reduced-risk products or if regulation or taxation do not
differentiate between such products and cigarettes; if it is unable
to successfully introduce new products, promote brand equity, enter
new markets or improve its margins through increased prices and
productivity gains; if it is unable to expand its brand portfolio
internally or through acquisitions and the development of strategic
business relationships; or if it is unable to attract and retain
the best global talent, including women or diverse candidates.
Future results are also subject to the lower predictability of our
reduced-risk product category's performance.
In addition, important factors that could cause actual results
to differ materially from those indicated by forward-looking
statements include risks and uncertainties related to: the
agreement with Altria Group, Inc., and the benefits of the
transaction; the possibility that expected benefits related to
recent or pending acquisitions, including the transaction with
Swedish Match, may not materialize as expected; Swedish Match’s
business experiencing disruptions due to transaction-related
uncertainty or other factors making it more difficult to maintain
relationships with employees, customers, licensees, other business
partners or governmental entities; difficulty retaining key Swedish
Match employees; the outcome of any legal proceedings related to
the transaction with Swedish Match; and the parties being unable to
successfully implement integration strategies or to achieve
expected synergies and operating efficiencies within the expected
time-frames or at all.
PMI is further subject to other risks detailed from time to time
in its publicly filed documents, including PMI's Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2021,
and the Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2022. PMI
cautions that the foregoing list of important factors is not a
complete discussion of all potential risks and uncertainties. PMI
does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that it
may make from time to time, except in the normal course of its
public disclosure obligations.
Philip Morris International: Delivering a Smoke-Free
Future
Philip Morris International (PMI) is a leading international
tobacco company working to deliver a smoke-free future and evolving
its portfolio for the long term to include products outside of the
tobacco and nicotine sector. The company’s current product
portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products,
including heat-not-burn, vapor and oral nicotine products, which
are sold in markets outside the U.S. Since 2008, PMI has invested
more than USD 9 billion to develop, scientifically substantiate and
commercialize innovative smoke-free products for adults who would
otherwise continue to smoke, with the goal of completely ending the
sale of cigarettes. This includes the building of world-class
scientific assessment capabilities, notably in the areas of
pre-clinical systems toxicology, clinical and behavioral research,
as well as post-market studies. The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) has authorized the marketing of versions of
PMI’s IQOS Platform 1 devices and consumables as Modified Risk
Tobacco Products (MRTPs), finding that exposure modification orders
for these products are appropriate to promote the public health. As
of September 30, 2022, excluding Russia and Ukraine, PMI's
smoke-free products were available for sale in 70 markets, and PMI
estimates that approximately 13.5 million adults around the world
had already switched to IQOS and stopped smoking. With a strong
foundation and significant expertise in life sciences, in February
2021, PMI announced its ambition to expand into wellness and
healthcare areas and deliver innovative products and solutions that
aim to address unmet consumer and patient needs. For more
information, please visit www.pmi.com and www.pmiscience.com.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230127005442/en/
Philip Morris International Investor Relations: Stamford:
+1 (917) 663 2233 Lausanne: +41 (0)58 242 4666
InvestorRelations@pmi.com
Media: David Fraser Lausanne: +41 (0)58 242 4500
David.Fraser@pmi.com
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