Frega (Philip Morris): Italy could be the first smoke-free country in 10 years
Philip Morris Italia's new chairman and CEO speaks: 'Ready to invest a billion in 10 years'.
3' min read
3' min read
"In 10 years Italy could be the first EU country to totally abandon traditional cigarettes." Word of Pasquale Frega, from 20 February 2025 president and CEO of Philip Morris Italia. Frega boasts a long international experience in the pharmaceutical sector. Before coming to the helm of the Italian affiliate of the US multinational, he served as president for Canada and Latin America of Novartis.
President, what will be the guidelines of your new mandate? The stated goal is to achieve two-thirds of global net revenues from smokeless products by 2030.
Philip Morris International (PMI) is undergoing a profound business but also scientific and technological transformation. The company's goal is to build a smoke-free future as quickly as possible, consigning the traditional cigarette to the graveyard. A future based on new, potentially less harmful smokeless products.
And Italy?
Italy is the beating heart of this transformation, thanks to the contribution of an integrated end-to-end supply chain that starts from agriculture 4.0 and involves innovative manufacturing, passing through research and development, training, advanced consumer services and end-of-life product management.
What numbers are we talking about?
The Italian Philip Morris supply chain involves about 8,000 supply and service companies, of which about 1,000 are active in the agricultural sector, and generates employment, direct and indirect, for about 41,000 people throughout the country. In our country, progress in the transition is also encouraging: more than two million smokers have switched to IQOS, abandoning traditional cigarettes altogether. In this transition, not only the industry but also governments and institutions can play an important role by maintaining a stable regulatory environment.
Do you fear regulatory changes?
We hope that the regulatory framework will remain as it is today. In fact, the transformation we have launched is very profound: globally we have already invested more than USD 14 billion to test, research, evaluate and validate these new no-burn products, particularly in the areas of preclinical systems toxicology, clinical and behavioural research, and postmarket studies.
