Shortly after Savara announced the resignation of Badrul Chowdhury as its Chief Medical Officer, Philip Morris International (PMI) has announced the appointment of Chowdhury as PMI’s new Chief Life Sciences Officer, Smoke-Free Products, effective in January 2023. Chowdhury, a former Director of the FDA’s Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Rheumatology Products, will replace Jorge Insuasty who is transitioning to the role of President of Vectura Fertin Pharma.
PMI acquired Vectura in 2021, after announcing its intention to move “beyond nicotine.” The acquisition met with significant resistance within the OINDP community. PMI currently defines itself as “a leading international tobacco company working to deliver a smoke-free future and evolving its portfolio for the long term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector” and says that it has invested heavily in “smoke-free products for adults who would otherwise continue to smoke, with the goal of completely ending the sale of cigarettes.” The company’s smoke free products include the IQOS heated tobacco device and the IQOS VEEV nicotine vape device.
PMI CEO Jacek Olczak said, “I am delighted to welcome Badrul to PMI and look forward to working closely with him as he leads our talented team of scientific experts. He is an accomplished scientist and regulatory strategist, with decades of leadership experience, both in industry and as a regulator within the US FDA’s Pulmonary Division. His wealth of knowledge and experience will be critical to help achieve our ambition of a smoke-free future. I also extend my sincere thanks to Jorge Insuasty for his contributions to the function as he moves to oversee Vectura Fertin Pharma full-time.”
Chowdhury commented, “Joining the PMI team is an exciting new adventure. The investment the company has already made in delivering high-quality science to support its transformation and smoke-free vision is unprecedented. I am thrilled to have the chance to help move the company forward faster and to truly seize the public health opportunity that well-regulated smoke-free products present. I look forward to working with the senior management team and the entire Life Sciences function to accelerate progress.”
Read the PMI press release.
