The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the marketing of Philip Morris International's (PMI) IQOS heated tobacco system as a modified risk tobacco product (MRTP), it said Tuesday. in a press release the highest health authority in the United States.It is the first tobacco product to receive the MRTP rating, which implies that they confer a benefit to the health of the population."Through the modified-risk tobacco product application process, the FDA aims to ensure that information directed to consumers about reduced risk or reduced exposure from the use of a tobacco product is supported by scientific evidence and understandable," said Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products.“The data presented by the company shows that marketing these particular products with the authorized information could help addicted adult smokers quit combustion cigarettes and reduce their exposure to harmful chemicals, but only if they switch completely, he added. .The IQOS Heated Tobacco System is an electronic device that generates an aerosol containing nicotine by heating paper-wrapped units of tobacco, called heatsticks.“The FDA previously authorized the marketing of these products without modified risk information in April 2019, adds the FDA and clarifies that the new action “authorizes the manufacturer to market these specific products with the following information: The IQOS system heats tobacco but it does not burn it;this significantly reduces the production of harmful and potentially harmful chemicals;Scientific studies have shown that switching completely from conventional cigarettes to the IQOS system significantly reduces your body's exposure to harmful or potentially harmful chemicals."IQOS is also not an electronic cigarette.In fact, last year, amid questions about electronic cigarettes after cases of hospitalizations allegedly derived from their use, the FDA ruled on the differences between IQOS - already authorized for sale in the United States - and those products. .He explained that IQOS is not a combustible cigarette or an electronic cigarette;that it is a device to heat tobacco and that, although it releases nicotine, which is what smokers usually look for in these products, it does not release smoke but steam, without generating combustion.He also highlighted then that there were no cases of negative effects in the countries where IQOS is marketed.Commenting on the FDA announcement, André Calantzopoulos, CEO of PMI, said: “The FDA decision is a historic public health milestone.Many of the tens of millions of American men and women who smoke today will quit, but many will not.The decision informs these adults that switching completely to IQOS is a better option than continuing to smoke.The FDA determined that scientific studies show that switching completely from conventional cigarettes to IQOS reduces exposure to harmful or potentially harmful chemicals.