ArticleTobacco control2018
PMI's own in vivo clinical data on biomarkers of potential harm in Americans show that IQOS is not detectably different from conventional cigarettes.
Article in Tobacco control, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 41 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
41 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 67 citations in OpenAlex.
- Heated tobacco products for smoking cessation and reducing smoking prevalence.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2022Pooled it
- The effect of nicotine delivery system on blood protease levels: a randomized crossover study.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Nationwide trends in cigarette, heated tobacco product, e-cigarette, and multiple-product use in Japan 2017-2025.PCN reports : psychiatry and clinical neurosciences · 2026Article
- Heated tobacco product aerosol emission compared to cigarette smoke: A scoping review.Toxicology reports · 2026Review
- Short-term cardiovascular effects and puffing behavior of exclusive heated tobacco product (HTP) users: A quasi-experimental study.Tobacco induced diseases · 2026Article
- Tobacco and COPD: presenting the World Health Organization (WHO) Tobacco Knowledge Summary.Respiratory research · 2024Review
- Impact of smoking intensity and device cleaning on IQOS emissions: comparison with an array of cigarettes.Tobacco control · 2024Article
- Impact of FDA endorsement and modified risk versus exposure messaging in IQOS ads: a randomised factorial experiment among US and Israeli adults.Tobacco control · 2024Article
- The long-term effects of heated tobacco product exposure on the central nervous system in a mouse model of prodromal Alzheimer's disease.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- A scoping review of the toxicity and health impact of IQOS.Tobacco induced diseases · 2024Article
- Impact of different health warning label and reduced exposure messages in IQOS ads on perceptions among US and Israeli adults.Preventive medicine reports · 2023Article
- Cardiotoxicity of Electronic Cigarettes and Heat-Not-Burn Tobacco Products-A Problem for the Modern Pediatric Cardiologist.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- A Decision-Theoretic Public Health Framework for Heated Tobacco and Nicotine Vaping Products.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Effect of heated tobacco products and traditional cigarettes on pulmonary toxicity and SARS-CoV-2-induced lung injury.Toxicology · 2022Article
- Should IQOS Emissions Be Considered as Smoke and Harmful to Health? A Review of the Chemical Evidence.ACS omega · 2022Review
- Perceived relative harm of heated tobacco products and electronic cigarettes and its association with use in smoke-free places: A cross-sectional analysis of Korean adults.Tobacco induced diseases · 2022Article
- IQOS Marketing in the US: The Need to Study the Impact of FDA Modified Exposure Authorization, Marketing Distribution Channels, and Potential Targeting of Consumers.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Characterization of Respiratory Symptoms Among Youth Using Heated Tobacco Products in Hong Kong.JAMA network open · 2021Article
- Acute Effects of Heated Tobacco Product (IQOS) Aerosol Inhalation on Lung Tissue Damage and Inflammatory Changes in the Lungs.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2021Article
- Do Young Adults Attend to Health Warnings in the First IQOS Advertisement in the U.S.? An Eye-Tracking Approach.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
introductionNew 'heated tobacco products' are being marketed in several countries with claims that they expose users to lower levels of toxins than conventional cigarettes which could be read as being less likely to cause health problems than conventional cigarettes. In the USA, Philip Morris International (PMI) has submitted an application to the Food and Drug Administration for permission to market its heated tobacco product, IQOS, with reduced exposure and reduced risk claims.
methodsAnalysis of detailed results on 24 biomarkers of potential harm in PMI studies of humans using IQOS compared with humans using conventional cigarettes.
resultsAmong American adults, there is no statistically detectable difference between IQOS and conventional cigarette users for 23 of the 24 biomarkers of potential harm in PMI's studies. In Japan, there were no significant differences between people using IQOS and conventional cigarettes in 10 of 13 biomarkers of potential harm. It is likely that some of the significant differences are false positives.
conclusionDespite delivering lower levels of some toxins than conventional cigarettes, PMI's own data fail to show consistently lower risks of harm in humans using its heated tobacco product, IQOS, than conventional cigarettes.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.