LONDON (Reuters) -Philip Morris International officially launched IQOS in Austin, Texas, on Thursday, kicking off efforts by the world’s largest cigarette maker to build a market for its flagship heated tobacco device in the United States.
PMI hopes to capture a 10% share of U.S. tobacco and heated tobacco unit volume by 2030 and build a substantial base of new users in the world’s top market for smoking alternatives.
Reuters reported in April that PMI was preparing for an Austin launch of IQOS, the top-selling heated tobacco device globally, but it has so far not been widely available to consumers.
PMI said on Thursday that after a successful pilot it was now offering IQOS to smoking-age Austin residents and would host demonstrations and guided trials for adults at the Austin MotoGP Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas to showcase the product.
IQOS will be available at select mobile locations and through “IQOS coaches” beginning Thursday, it continued, and available for online purchase in late April.
Spokespeople for PMI did not immediately share information on pricing.
PMI previously said it would launch IQOS in four cities in two U.S. states, but so far only the Austin launch has been announced.
It is pursuing a limited U.S. roll-out of an older version of the IQOS device while waiting for authorisation to sell the latest iteration, dubbed ILUMA, in the country.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is currently weighing PMI’s ILUMA application. The FDA has already authorised PMI to sell the older device and market it as reducing exposure to harmful chemicals versus cigarettes.
Campaigners wrote to the FDA last year to oppose PMI’s IQOS-related applications, alleging the company had violated previous FDA orders. PMI disputed this.
(Reporting by Emma Rumney; Editing by Mark Porter)
