Music starts.

Interviewer asks:

The thing is, the majority of these products contain nicotine.

And if they contain nicotine, are they really less harmful than a cigarette?

Nevena Crljenko, Vice President, Public Affairs, Philip Morris International, replies:

Nicotine is I believe, one of the most misunderstood molecules in the world.

It’s not a primary cause of smoking-related diseases.

It’s not carcinogenic.

It is conflated in people’s minds with cigarettes, with smoking,

with smoking-related diseases.

What it is, is addictive.

So it’s part of the problem because it's contained in a cigarette.

So it needs to be part of the solution too.

Because one of the reasons why people smoke is the nicotine.

So obviously the alternatives to smoking have to contain nicotine as well.

But if we significantly reduce other compounds that

people are consuming while they consume nicotine,

we’ve created something which is a better alternative to smoking.

Music ends.