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Tag: Philip Morris

  • Judge Seals Docs in Juul Case

    Judge Seals Docs in Juul Case

    On Tuesday (Feb. 25), a federal judge in North Carolina granted requests by R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co. and Philip Morris’ parent company, Altria, to seal documents in their ongoing royalty dispute, keeping details of their licensing agreements with the vape brand JUUL confidential.

    “The court ruled that the agreements contained sensitive business information — including financial terms, licensing strategies and negotiation details — that could harm competitive standing, and all six motions to seal were granted,” Andrea Keckley wrote for Law360.

    The court found that an amendment to a licensing agreement between Altria and JUUL and a copy of a licensing agreement between the two were confidential and that disclosing them would “harm the party’s competitive standing or otherwise harm its business interests.” The filings stem RJR’s bid for relief against a $95 million judgement after a jury sided with Altria in a 2022 patent infringement case. The defense has argued that it should receive relief because a deal with Juul sublicensed the asserted patents.

    “Ultimately, however, this court need not decide whether the documents or hearing are protected by the First Amendment’s right of access, because even assuming the First Amendment standard applies, movants have put forth compelling interests in sealing the order and the proposed sealing is narrowly tailored such that the First Amendment right of access has been overcome,” U.S. District Judge William Lindsay Osteen Jr wrote. “Although this court has considered less drastic alternatives to sealing, the parties have already redacted their filings so as to allow public access to as much information as possible without compromising sensitive business information,” he wrote. “It is this court’s view that the parties’ proposed redactions reflect the least drastic alternative at this time.”

  • PMI Execs Speak at CAGNY

    PMI Execs Speak at CAGNY

    Yesterday, Philip Morris International participated in the Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY) conference in Orlando, Florida. Chief Executive Officer Jacek Olczak and Chief Financial Officer Emmanuel Babeau spoke about the company’s work toward a smoke-free future, current financial models, and future opportunities.

    (Some quotes were edited for brevity and clarity.) Highlights included:

    Jacek Olczak

    Working toward a smoke-free company

    “We have been quite successful for the first 10 years of the transformations and our quest to become predominantly a smoke-free company. A way to look at what we achieved is [comparing] Marlboro International, which is by far the biggest premium brand in the category. Two years ago in 2023, IQOS for the first time surpassed the revenues of Marlboro and last year exceeded $11 billion. If we take this from that perspective, it took Philip Morris International about 60 or 70 years to get Marlboro to that level, and IQOS, our heat-not-burn brand, has managed to get to that level of performance in roughly 10 years.”

    “What does it mean for us when we set this aspirational target of having two-thirds of our revenue come from smoke-free products by 2030? Obviously, it’s a nice number that looks very nice on a PowerPoint, but the reality is that unless we become a majority smoke-free company, country-by-country, market-by-market, while we operate… the miracle will not happen at the group consolidated level.”

    “There are some countries in the world that despite the science and knowledge and evidence about the new products in terms of the risk profile versus cigarettes, they will not ban cigarettes. But they [essentially] will ban the smoke-free product by allowing cigarettes to continue.”

    ZYN, the company’s acclaimed oral nicotine pouch

    “ZYN in the U.S. is essentially approaching $2 billion in revenues. However, it’s especially exciting for us that ZYN today is the No. 4 nicotine brand as of last quarter, and definitely is the No. 1 smoke-free brand on the U.S. market.”

    Nicotine and the FDA

    “The FDA and others should finally start clarifying what is nicotine. Maybe we don’t wait for FDA clarification. This is what we say about nicotine, and I am not saying what we know, we are just repeating what is known to the public health organizations including the FDA and many other reputable institutions: Nicotine is addictive and, obviously, is not risk-free, but it’s not the primary cause of smoking-related diseases.”

    “Everything else that you find in tobacco smoke is bad, but it’s not the nicotine. Now historically, because we only knew that nicotine can be consumed from cigarettes, nobody had to pay attention to the details or accuracy of the language and whether you call it nicotine or cigarette or smoking, there was not much difference. But over the last 10 years, this has become the fundamental difference.”

    “The most important thing, and I will be repeating this until we succeed, nicotine doesn’t cause cancer. And this is not PMI research. This is research that was done over the last 60 or 70 years when any public authority in the world was looking into cigarettes and the harm caused by cigarettes. And nobody has come up with any conclusion even close that nicotine causes harm and definitively not causes cancer. So that’s the starting point and the industry, and definitely PMI, is going in that direction.”

    “[Nicotine products] have no reason to be given to kids. So we, and Swedish Match, stand very strongly behind responsible sales practices, which go into the product design flavors, et cetera.”

    Future of the industry

    “I think the future will be more complicated, but it will actually create more opportunities. The smokers will not go away. They’re actually looking at these products from the repertoire perspective, because all of these products deliver a different opportunity.”

    “I think the best strategy one can have is to actually keep on with the pace of developing these products and offering them to the consumers without spending too much time [wondering which] one category will win one versus the others.”

    Emmanuel Babeau

    Revenue growth

    “Let me start with a summary of our best-in-class growth and return. The first element is we are a strong growth company in terms of top-line with three drivers. The first one we talk about is growing volumes. If we achieve our objective of growing volume again in 2025, it will be five years in a row of growth in volume. It’s a total change of paradigm for the nicotine industry. Second is price increase, and you have seen over the last two years we’ve been growing and increasing our prices. First on combustible of course, but also on the smoke-free portfolio where we have started to post some nice price increases. Third is the very positive mixed impact that is coming from the growth of our smoke-free portfolio.”

    “What I think is super important is the mix impact and understanding of why the growth on smoke-free products is a very positive element for our growth, both at the top-line level and at the margin progression as well.”

    “Today we are spending a lot of time on AI and what AI can mean for us in terms of notably saving on our back-office cost. We believe that AI is pervasive to the organization. To be clear, AI will have a lot of impact in the way we connect with the consumer and in the way we develop our marketing activity. It’s also going to have a very positive impact on cost, in terms of standardization, in terms of automatization, and we’re going to leverage that.”

    Smoke-free products

    “Look at IQOS versus combustible cigarettes. IQOS reaches $80 per thousand in revenue, which is around 2.2 times higher than the average of our combustible portfolio. Therefore, when we grow IQOS, not only do we come with volume growth, but we accelerate the revenue growth with this positive mix effect on revenue. The level of gross profit is $54 per thousand. This is around 2.4 times higher than a combustible cigarette.”

    “Maybe the most spectacular impact in terms of positive contribution is the U.S. ZYN number. The revenue per thousand is about 6 times the average of our cigarette business. And at this level, the gross profit is $185, which is about 8 times the profit that we make on average for our combustible business.”

    “So obviously, when we grow IQOS and ZYN, we are growing very nicely in volume, remember close to 14% growth in volume for our smoke-free portfolio in 2024.”

    For more than 50 years, CAGNY has been connecting investors, management teams, and the media dedicated to the consumer industry. It asserts to be “the largest not-for-profit of its kind” and hosts various events throughout the year, highlighted by the CAGNY conference in Boca Raton, Florida.

  • PMI to Present at CAGNY

    PMI to Present at CAGNY

    Philip Morris International announced its participation in the 2025 Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY) conference, where CEO Jacek Olczak and CFO Emmanuel Babeau will present on February 19, 2025, at 1 p.m. EST. The presentation will be accessible via live audio webcast at www.pmi.com/2025CAGNY or through the company’s investor relations app at www.pmi.com/irapp.

    The company executives are expected to talk about PMI’s transformation toward a smoke-free future, having invested more than $14 billion since 2008 in developing and commercializing smoke-free products. Following its acquisition of Swedish Match, 39% of PMI’s annual net revenue now comes from the smoke-free segment with brands like IQOS and ZYN.

    For more than 50 years, CAGNY has been connecting investors, management teams, and the media dedicated to the consumer industry. It asserts to be “the largest not-for-profit of its kind” and hosts various events throughout the year, highlighted by the CAGNY conference in Boca Raton, Florida.

    The webcast replay will be available at the same link until March 21, 2025.

  • Markets Stand Behind Tobacco

    Markets Stand Behind Tobacco

    Seeking Alpha, a crowd-sourced content service that publishes news on financial markets, said the prices of tobacco and smoking products in the U.S. rose 6.8% in January compared to a year ago on an unadjusted basis. Overall, core inflation was up 3.3% year-over-year during the month, which was slightly higher than the pace in December and above the expectations of analysts.

    On a month-to-month comparison, tobacco and smoking products were up 0.4% in January to mark the fifth month in a row of higher pricing for the broad category.

    Analysts have not moved off their position that Philip Morris International, Altria, Imperial Brands, and British American Tobacco could all see benefits under the Trump Administration.

    Seeking Alpha said, “UBS sees the Republican control of Congress as a slight positive for tobacco stocks. Analyst Faham Baig reminded investors that Republican control has historically been seen as a positive for U.S. tobacco, due to the likelihood of reduced regulation. On that note, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the OMB withdrew in January the menthol cigarette ban and the U.S. has pulled back from the World Health Organization.”

  • PMI Posts Strong Fourth Quarter Behind ZYN Demand

    PMI Posts Strong Fourth Quarter Behind ZYN Demand

    Philip Morris International (PMI) posted better-than-expected fourth-quarter results with net sales rising 7.3% to $9.71 billion, topping the $9.44 billion estimated. The company also forecasted adjusted annual earnings per share in the range of $7.04 to $7.17, above analysts’ estimates of $7.03. The positive news sent company shares up nearly 8% yesterday (February 5).

    Analysts say the strong quarter was driven by strong demand for PMI’s smoking alternatives such as ZYN nicotine pouches. In January, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave PMI a formal license to market ZYN in the country, saying it poses a lower risk of serious health conditions due to substantially lower amounts of harmful constituents.

    In the quarter, oral inhalable smoke-free products volumes grew by 25% in cans from a year earlier, fueled by ZYN nicotine pouch growth in the U.S., where shipments reached nearly 165 million cans, representing a growth of nearly 42% from the prior year.

  • PM Korea Says Science Demands E-Cigarette Recognition

    PM Korea Says Science Demands E-Cigarette Recognition

    The head of Philip Morris Korea cited scientific evidence today (February 5) in defense of the global tobacco company’s ongoing efforts to shift from traditional cigarettes to electronic vaping products for healthier living. Managing Director Hannah Yun emphasized the importance of scientifically proven data in persuading the government about the benefits of electronic cigarettes. Her remarks were directed at the Korean government, which has highlighted their harmfulness, urging citizens to quit both tobacco and electronic smoking.

    Yun acknowledged that, as a cigarette company, it has often faced criticism regarding public health. She added that the company’s efforts to encourage smokers to quit by promoting a potentially less harmful alternative have rarely received outright support from outside the industry, including from the Korean government.

    The government has consistently criticized smoking without distinguishing between e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes or acknowledging the potential benefits of the former. Instead, it has treated e-cigarettes as “just another type of smoking you must quit” through various advertisements and TV campaigns.

    The Ministry of Health and Welfare in November released the results of an external report, which studied synthetic nicotine used in vaping, a type of e-cigarette smoking. The report concluded that synthetic nicotine contains multiple types of hazardous chemicals, which is contrary to what vaping product makers have said.

    “We have been stacking up scientific data and making reports promoting those data to prove the benefits of e-cigarettes. This is our only way to get at the government,” Yun said at a press conference in Seoul, where Philip Morris International (PMI) and its Korean subsidiary unveiled a new model for its flagship e-cigarette device brand IQOS to Korea.

    “We want the government to know that our e-cigarette business is not about pursuing our own business interests. It is rather our campaign promoting a healthier way to smoke based on scientific data. We wish the government would look at our business and understand it scientifically.”

    Philip Morris Korea’s External Affairs Director Kim Joo-han asked the government to “check a broader range of data before introducing policies or pursuing campaigns” to better understand e-cigarette smoking.

    “Member states of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD] have introduced e-cigarette-friendly policies to promote the practice and help the public quit smoking more effectively,” Kim said. “The Korean government should look into those examples.”

    During the event, Philip Morris Korea unveiled IQOS Iluma i, the latest version of its IQOS product, which was first launched globally in 2014 and in Korea in 2017.

    As of last October, the company occupied a 40 percent share of Korea’s e-cigarette market, while KT&G led with 49 percent and BAT Rothmans accounted for 11 percent. Meanwhile, JTI Korea, a Korean subsidiary of Japan Tobacco International, also released its new e-cigarette device model, Ploom X Advanced, in October 2024.

    “One out of every five adults in Korea are now smoking e-cigarettes,” Yun said. “We believe we are truly doing the right thing by helping the rest four out of every five adults quit tobacco smoking.”

    Vassilis Gkatzelis, PMI’s president of East Asia, Australia, and Duty-Free Region, said during the press conference that PMI aims to log two-thirds of its entire sales from e-cigarette products by 2030.

    “What is truly expected of a tobacco company? The answer is straightforward,” Gkatzelis said. “It is introducing the smoke-free future.”

    Gkatzelis said that among PMI’s 180 market countries, Korea “holds a very special place” because it is among the top five countries in its global e-cigarette market. “IQOS is accelerating the transition away from tobacco cigarettes,” he said. “It is ushering in the world where combustion smoking is increasingly becoming obsolete and will [just be seen in] a museum.”

  • Wall Street Likes Big Tobacco

    Wall Street Likes Big Tobacco

    According to Seeking Alpha, a leading financial research firm, U.S.-listed tobacco companies had a successful year of returns in 2024. “The dividend aristocrats Philip Morris, British American Tobacco, and Altria Group rose between 24% and 27.9% last year, compared to S&P 500’s 23.3% gain during that period,” Seeking Alpha wrote.

    Seeking Alpha’s analysts and Wall Street opinions think 2025 will be equally positive for Big Tobacco.

    “On British American Tobacco, the bullishness of SA analysts crossed with one Sell, two Holds, and a Buy recommendation of sell-side analysts. Similarly, Altria Group got a resounding Buy from Seeking Alpha analysts compared to a wide spectrum of opinions on Wall Street.

  • Tobacco Firms Settle MSA Dispute

    Tobacco Firms Settle MSA Dispute

    Image: mehaniq41

    Tobacco companies will pay Massachusetts hundreds of millions of dollars to settle a dispute about how much the cigarette manufacturers owe the state.

    The deal ends a dispute stemming from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) in which tobacco companies agreed to pay states billions of dollars each year to offset medical expenses stemming from smoking.

    Claiming that some MSA signatories withheld “substantial funds,” the Massachusetts attorney general’s office sent disputes over hundreds of millions of dollars into arbitration.

    Monday’s announced deal resolves seven of those past disputes for 2005 through 2011, the office said, and will result in $600 million being paid to the commonwealth this year and “tens of millions” each year going forward.

    “The country’s major tobacco manufacturers have pushed smoking products to young people for decades—and this settlement is evidence of our ongoing commitment to hold these companies accountable for their actions that caused irreparable harm to public health and safety,” said Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell in a statement.

  • PMI Urges Action Against Illicit Trade

    PMI Urges Action Against Illicit Trade

    Photo: alexlmx

    Philip Morris Pakistan Limited (PMPKL) has urged action against the growing presence of tax-avoiding products on the country’s tobacco market, reports  The Express Tribune

    In a media briefing, PMPKL Head of Communications Andleeb Uroos Ahmed said the company’s income had plunged by 86 percent in 2023. He attributed the decline to last year’s hike in Federal Excise Duty (FED), which doubled cigarette prices, and the subsequent escalation in market share of illicit products.

    This condition has provided an ample opportunity for numerous local illicit cigarette manufacturers, notably in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu & Kashmir, to amass substantial market share while contributing minimally to national revenue, according to critics of the tax hike.

    Illicit cigarettes now command a 63 percent market share, causing the exchequer to miss out on  PKR310 billion ($1.11 billion) in tax collections annually.

    While acknowledging government efforts such as the introduction of tax stamps, Ahmed expressed concern about lax enforcement.

    Stressing the interests of tax-paying companies and government’s need for sustainable revenue, she suggested including tax-evading cigarette manufacturers in the tax net instead of burdening the legitimate industry with additional taxes.

    By curtailing tax evasion, she calculated, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) can potentially boost revenue collection from the tobacco sector by more than $2 billion.

    “The potential revenue, if realized, could significantly contribute to human development projects and public health initiatives in Pakistan, addressing critical areas where the country lags in human development rankings,” she added.

    She said that anti-tobacco organizations have been misguiding the government by spreading misinformation about the revenue collection potential from the legitimate tobacco industry.

  • California Firm Sues Zyn Makers

    California Firm Sues Zyn Makers

    Tobacco Reporter archives

    A law group in California has filed a lawsuit against Philip Morris in the state’s Southern District. The Schmidt National Law Group claims that the maker of Zyn is targeting children and young adults with its flavored nicotine pouches.

    “Now comes along Zyn the chewing gum, and the common denominator of all these nicotine delivery systems is as far as targeting towards kids, and I’m talking about kids, middle school, high school, younger and younger,” said Martin Schmidt, managing attorney at The Schmidt National Law Group.

    Although a person must be at least 21 years old to purchase the product legally, Schmidt says it is very accessible to people younger than 21. The class action lawsuit seeks “damages” from Philip Morris and Schmidt said he would like stricter limits on access to the product, according to media reports.

    The case could take years to work its way through the litigation process, according to Schmidt.