Philip Morris International Supports WHO’s Latest Effort to Fight Illegal Trade of Tobacco

LAUSANNE, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Philip Morris International Inc.’s (PMI) (NYSE:PM) (Paris:PM) Vice President of Communications Peter Nixon issued the following statement today applauding the World Health Organization for passing the first international protocol to fight the illegal trade of tobacco and reconfirming the company’s support for the measure.

“While the passage of this protocol is not the silver bullet to resolving this serious issue, it is a step toward addressing a problem that not only harms governments but fuels organized crime and terrorism.”

“With sales estimated at more than 600 billion cigarettes a year – more than one in every 10 consumed – all black market tobacco products combined make up the third largest tobacco supplier in the world.

“While the passage of this protocol is not the silver bullet to resolving this serious issue, it is a step toward addressing a problem that not only harms governments but fuels organized crime and terrorism.

“The long term solution to this challenge lies in governments implementing effective policies and providing sufficient enforcement resources to disrupt the global illegal supply chain through which these unlawful products are manufactured, transported and sold. In addition, preventative measures not covered under today’s agreement, such as regulating the essential materials used to produce tobacco products, should be considered by governments in the national implementation of this protocol.”

For more information regarding the problem of illicit tobacco trade visit http://www.pmi.com/eng/tobacco_regulation/illicit_trade/pages/illicit_trade.aspx.

Philip Morris International Inc. Profile

Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) is the leading international tobacco company, with seven of the world’s top 15 international brands, including Marlboro, the number one cigarette brand worldwide. PMI’s products are sold in approximately 180 countries. In 2011, the company held an estimated 16.0% share of the total international cigarette market outside of the U.S., or 28.1% excluding the People’s Republic of China and the U.S. For more information, see www.pmi.com.