Philip Morris Rebuffed by WHO as It Tries to Rewrite Narrative

Philip Morris International Inc. is trying to burnish its image, most recently among the international, socially conscientious elite at Davos. But even as its upcoming earnings are expected to underscore its migration away from cigarettes, the World Health Organization says it’s not buying into the idea that the tobacco giant is “healthier” than before.

A Philip Morris ad in the Wall Street Journal.

Photographer: Christopher Goodney/Bloomberg

The maker of Marlboro cigarettes has been working hard to change its narrative by pushing what it calls lower-risk alternatives. With its earnings on Thursday, the company will reveal just how pressing the need for reinvention is: Cigarette sales are expected to fall yet again, ...