Marlboro maker Phillip Morris to stop selling cigarettes in UK, supporting government ban

Tobacco company Philip Morris International has said that it intends to quit selling cigarettes in the United Kingdom in ten years.

The company's famous Marlboro brand will be phased out of British stores as a result of the decision and the company would support a government ban on smoking.

“I want to allow this company to leave smoking behind,” Philip Morris CEO Jacek Olczak said in an interview with the Mail on Sunday. “I think in the U.K., ten years from now maximum, you can completely solve the problem of smoking.”

When asked if this meant the firm will discontinue selling conventional cigarettes in the UK within that timeframe, Olczak answered, "Absolutely."

Campaign groups have pointed out that Philip Morris International has made similar remarks in the past, with little change. Former Philip Morris International CEO André Calantzopoulos stated in 2016 that he hoped the firm will quit selling cigarettes completely, CNBC reported.

After separating from parent firm Altria in 2008, the $153 billion-dollar corporation now distributes Marlboro cigarettes outside of the United States. In the U. S., Altria sells Marlboro cigarettes.

The government has already committed to eliminating smoking in England by 2030 as part of a package of the deal aimed at addressing the root causes of avoidable illness.

Earlier this month, Philip Morris has agreed to pay £1 billion ($1.44 billion) for Vectura, a British pharmaceutical company that is developing a respiratory treatment for Covid-19.

To date, the maker of the world's most popular cigarette brand has invested more than $8 billion (£5.8 billion) in diversifying its business away from harmful tobacco products as "part of a natural evolution into a broader healthcare and wellness company" to "accelerate the end of smoking," The Guardian reported.  

The company further spent $820 million for buying the nicotine gum manufacturer Fertin Pharma.