煙草在線據Zacks報道編譯　　當一些國家政府正迫使煙草大亨通過煙包向人們展示卷煙的致命影響時，有趣的是菲莫已經準備好證明煙草也可以挽救生命。

　　為了鞏固它的使命，該公司巨資持有加拿大生物科技公司Medicago公司40%的股權，幫助后者開發流感疫苗。順便說一句，有趣的是，流感疫苗是利用煙葉開發的。

　　通過一個50萬美元的小研究合同，菲莫同Medicago的關系可以追溯到2007年。2008年11月，該煙草巨頭向Medicago公司投資了1500萬美元，在去年4月，菲莫購買了價值900多萬美元的Medicago的股份，這使它擁有9.86%的Medicago公司的發行股份。

　　此后，菲莫階段性地增加了其在該公司的股份。最后在2011年10月，菲莫同Medicago公司簽訂了認購協議，通過兩次以每普通股65美分的價格累計發行了3455萬普通股，完成了2250萬美元的私下配售。

　　在第一次發行前，菲莫持有Medicago公司30.2%的發行普通股，第一次發行后，菲莫持有的普通股為35.5%，隨后第二次零售巨頭持有的百分比增至40%。

　　私下配售收益被用于臨床開發、制造基于植物的VLP疫苗、一般公司及營運資金用途。

　　Medicago從1999年開始運作，它正在努力開發來自草本苜蓿的流感疫苗。然而，因為要從苜蓿中開發出產品需要很長時間，Medicago決定將其焦點轉向煙草。

　　根據Medicago公司，預計將到2014年把疫苗推向市場，并獲得產品許可。

　　菲莫一直熱衷于使用產品的新用途，通過研究和開發，使吸煙更具用戶友好性，并減少吸煙的有害影響。2011年5月，它向杜克大學的尼古丁和戒煙研究中心的主任Jed Rose購買了氣溶性尼古丁釋放系統。這項新技術向用戶肺部提供尼古丁，但是沒有煙霧。

　　這一技術將幫助煙民直接從卷煙中獲得尼古丁，而不會產生通常伴有的煙霧與有毒物質。這一努力與公司的降低與吸煙相關的死亡和疾病的努力一致。

Philip Morris: Tobacco Saves Life

Zacks
Jan 13, 2012

　　While the governments of several countries are forcing the tobacco biggies to showcase the deadly effects of cigarettes through their packets, Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - News) has interestingly geared up to prove that tobacco can save lives too.

　　To strengthen its mission, the company has invested heavily for a 40% stake in the Canadian biotech company Medicago Inc., helping the latter to develop influenza vaccines. Incidentally and interestingly, the vaccine for flu is being developed using tobacco leaves.

　　Philip Morris' relation with Medicago dates back to 2007, through a small research contract of $500,000. In November 2008, the tobacco major invested $15 million in Medicago and in April last year, Philip Morris bought more than $9 million worth of shares in Medicago, which gave it 9.86% of Medicago's issued and outstanding shares.

　　After that, Philip Morris increased its stake in the company in phases. Finally in October, 2011, it entered into a subscription agreement with Medicago to complete a private placement of $22.5 million through the issuance of an aggregate of 34,550,000 common shares at a price of 65 cents per common share in two tranches.

　　Before the first tranche, Philip Morris held 30.2% of the outstanding common shares of Medicago. The first tranche gave Philip Morris control over 35.5% of the common shares, and following the second tranche the percentage of common shares held by the retail giant went up to 40%.

　　Proceeds from the private placement were used for clinical development, manufacture of the plant-based VLP vaccines, general corporate and working capital purposes.

　　Medicago started functioning in 1999, and it was trying to develop vaccines for flu from the herb Alfalfa. However, since it was taking a long time to develop products from Alfalfa, Medicago decided to shift its focus to tobacco.

　　As per Medicago, it expects to bring the vaccine to the market and get it licensed by 2014.

　　Philip Morris has always been keen on using product innovation through research and development to make tobacco smoking more user-friendly and reduce the harmful effects of puffing. In May 2011, it bought the patent and global rights to an aerosol nicotine-delivery system developed by Jed Rose, director of Duke's Center for Nicotine and Smoking Cessation Research. The new technology delivers nicotine to users' lungs but doesn't involve smoking.

　　This technology will help the smokers to get the nicotine straight from the cigarette without generating the accompanied smoke and the toxic substances. This endeavor resonates the company's effort to reduce death and diseases associated with smoking.