For the most part, a new product or service rolled out by a big company is met with interest or excitement, not revulsion and resistance. This does not apply to the tobacco industry, however; anti-smoking sentiment remains strong, and many people feel that the last thing consumers need is another product in this category.

So it was entirely expected that there would be some institutional-level pushback against Philip Morris International's (NYSE: PM) plans to roll out its IQOS heated tobacco system in the United States. Some of that opposition is fairly stiff and determined; perhaps it's even strong enough to threaten the company's viability.

For a next-generation tobacco product, IQOS actually has a long-ish history behind it. Following a long period of development stretching back to the 1990s, Philip Morris began selling IQOS in select foreign markets in 2014.

Continue reading

Source Fool.com