Philip Morris International, one of the biggest tobacco companies in the world, sees SA’s mooted tobacco regulations as an impediment to its plan to phase out its cigarette brands, such as Marlboro, in favour of healthier alternatives.

The New York-listed cigarette and tobacco giant wants to ultimately replace all its cigarettes with new products that do not produce harmful smoke, such as e-cigarettes and its new iQOS range of devices that heat instead of burn tobacco.