India’s steadfastness in maintaining its ban on e-cigarettes, including heat-not-burn tobacco products, has reportedly dealt a significant blow to Philip Morris International’s (NYSE:PM) expansion plans after years of lobbying efforts.

Philip Morris aimed to launch its heated tobacco device, IQOS, in the Indian market. From 2021 to 2025, the tobacco giant engaged with senior Indian officials and a parliamentary panel, promoting the scientific rationale for products like IQOS and seeking an exemption from the ban, according to a Reuters report.

The company’s executives also held discussions with several state government officials at Davos in January, exploring the potential for long-term value creation in the tobacco sector with products like IQOS.

Despite being the seventh-largest cigarette market in the world, India has upheld its 2019 ban on e-cigarettes.

Philip Morris CEO Jacek Olczak told the publication that it is ...