What’s Philip Morris’ Intention with Vectura?

Speculations arose with the September 2021 Philip Morris International (PMI) acquisition of inhaler maker Vectura Group. Philip Morris said the acquisition is part of its long-term plan to become “smoke-free” and a “broader healthcare and wellness” company. Health professionals are afraid the cigarette maker will find a way to make nicotine more addictive but how would that come about from using inhaler technology designed by Vectura? 

The more probable uses of Vectura’s technology will be for the tobacco-free delivery of nicotine and even more likely cannabinoids. CEO of PMI Jacek Olczak said Vectura will be critical for PMI to move “beyond nicotine,” hinting at least at cannabis and potentially psychedelics soon. Vectura’s one patent for creating composite active particles for pulmonary inhalation mentions delivery of LSD by inhaler in a long list of other serotonin agonists. Whether psychedelics could become a branch of PM’s is yet to be seen, but even vape device patents from the company mention psychedelics, so it isn’t a far-fetched idea. 

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