Two-Thirds of U.S. Healthcare Practitioners Mistakenly Believe or Are Unsure Whether Nicotine Causes Cancer, According to New Survey

Business Wire

21-05-2025

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new survey, funded by Philip Morris International's U.S. affiliates (PMI U.S.), has found that 47% of U.S. healthcare practitioners—rising to 59% among medical professionals who indicate that half or more of their patients smoke cigarettes—mistakenly believe nicotine is a carcinogen, despite scientific consensus that the harms of smoking primarily stem not from nicotine but from the burning of tobacco. Another 19% are unsure. Practitioners surveyed generally agree that smoke-free products—such as nicotine pouches and other noncombustible alternatives—are addictive and not risk-free, but still pose less risk than cigarettes. However, the survey results also show that misconceptions about nicotine persist and are obstructing progress on tobacco harm reduction.
Povaddo LLC fielded the survey among 1,565 medical professionals, including physicians, nurses, and mental health practitioners, across the United States between March 10 and April 5, 2025. The survey results highlighted that:
More than two-thirds of medical professionals want the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to share clinical evidence that demonstrates the role of smoke-free products in harm reduction (69%) and clear guidance on counseling patients about transitioning to smoke-free alternatives as part of harm reduction strategies (68%).
95% would share FDA-provided information on smoke-free products with their patients.
77% of medical professionals believe addressing smoking and tobacco use should remain a 'high priority' for the U.S. government.
Despite decades of research as part of tobacco control efforts, misconceptions about nicotine are pervasive among healthcare professionals and others. The survey findings demonstrate an urgent need for healthcare regulators to provide unbiased, scientifically substantiated information about nicotine and nicotine products to the healthcare community. Many clinicians report uncertainty about which products are FDA-authorized and point to a lack of up-to-date information as barriers to more frequent and informed patient guidance regarding authorized smoke-free products. This is critical at a time when an estimated 480,000 Americans die each year from smoking-related illnesses.
'Healthcare professionals are at the heart of patient care and need reliable, science-based information to help their patients make informed choices,' said Stacey Kennedy, CEO of PMI U.S. 'These findings reinforce the urgent need for transparent, evidence-driven communication from the FDA and other health authorities about the full spectrum of tobacco and nicotine products. We encourage the agency to provide timely, scientifically validated guidance to healthcare practitioners on FDA-authorized smoke-free alternatives. Ensuring clinicians have access to accurate information is essential to help adults 21+ who smoke make better choices and improve public health.'
This need for clear, science-based information is especially urgent given the survey's findings about persistent misconceptions within the medical community that may result in incomplete or inaccurate information being shared with patients.
'One of the most striking findings from this research is the prevalence of misinformation about nicotine—even among otherwise well-informed healthcare professionals,' said Matt Holman, vice president of U.S. scientific engagement and regulatory strategy at PMI U.S. and former director of the Office of Science at the FDA. 'Addressing these misconceptions with robust, evidence-based communication from authorities like the FDA is crucial to helping providers guide their patients and support harm reduction.'
PMI has invested more than $14 billion globally in innovative smoke-free products and remains committed to giving adults 21+ access to FDA-authorized better alternatives.
Read the full findings of the Tobacco Harm Reduction: U.S. Medical Professionals Survey (2025) here.
Access PMI's science at www.pmiscience.com and fact sheet on nicotine here.
About PMI
Philip Morris International Inc. is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, and its U.S. affiliates employ more than 2,500 people. PMI U.S. is on a mission to improve public health by providing the 45 million U.S. adults 21+ nicotine consumers—30 million of whom smoke cigarettes or use traditional tobacco—with innovative products that help them leave conventional cigarettes and other traditional tobacco products behind.
Since 2008, PMI has invested more than $14 billion globally to develop and commercialize FDA-authorized smoke-free products for legal-age nicotine consumers. PMI U.S. operates smoke-free product manufacturing facilities, including Swedish Match North America's Owensboro, Kentucky, plant that makes ZYN nicotine pouches and a facility in Wilson, North Carolina, that produces HEETS for the IQOS heated tobacco device. Swedish Match North America has a regional office in Richmond, Virginia.
U.S. marketing practices support 21+ access only
PMI U.S. is committed to responsible marketing practices focused on limiting access to adults 21 years of age and older. PMI U.S. does not use social media influencers in the U.S. or people under the age of 35—or who appear to be under the age of 35—in marketing materials. PMI U.S. also employs independent age-verification systems, such as Double Verify, to direct digital advertising to those over 21, and owned digital platforms are age-gated at the point of access and restricted to current nicotine consumers who are 21+. Swedish Match North America is a Manufacturer Advisory Council member of the We Card Program, a national nonprofit serving retailers of age-restricted products. PMI is also a founding board member and investor in TruAge ®, a free retail technology that provides stores with a more accurate method of age verification, including the ability to detect fake IDs, to ensure access is limited to those 21+.
U.S. mission to improve public health through smoke-free products
Because adult nicotine consumer preferences differ, PMI U.S. is working to offer a range of smoke-free options for adults 21+. Since 2008, PMI has invested over $14 billion to develop, scientifically substantiate and commercialize innovative smoke-free products. In 2022, PMI acquired Swedish Match—a leader in oral nicotine delivery—creating a global smoke-free champion led by the ZYN and IQOS brands.
IQOS is authorized by the FDA as a modified risk tobacco product, meaning the FDA has found it appropriate for the promotion of public health. Although IQOS is not risk-free and is addictive, studies show that because the device heats tobacco instead of burning it, it significantly reduces the production of and exposure to harmful chemicals compared to conventional cigarettes for adults who smoke and who switch to IQOS completely.
In 2025, the FDA authorized all 20 Swedish Match ZYN nicotine pouch products currently sold in the U.S., making ZYN the only FDA-authorized nicotine pouch on the market to help adults who use cigarettes or traditional tobacco products completely switch. The FDA has authorized Swedish Match's General snus as a modified risk tobacco product.
Commitment to corporate social responsibility
PMI U.S. has contributed approximately $25 million to charitable causes since 2022, amplifying the good work of organizations already active within communities through both financial contributions and volunteering. PMI's philanthropy pillars include supporting military veterans and military spouses, advancing local economic efforts in communities where PMI operates and natural disaster response and prevention. PMI U.S. helped form United to Safeguard America from Illegal Trade, a coalition of nearly 100 national and state brand enforcement experts, law enforcement agencies, academics and leading business organizations working to combat illegal trade. USA-IT has trained more than 36,000 law enforcement officials.
For more information, please visit www.pmi.com/us/ and www.pmiscience.com.
References to 'PMI' mean the Philip Morris International family of companies. 'PMI U.S.,' 'we,' 'our,' and 'us' refer to PMI U.S. businesses.