OREANDA-NEWS. April 18, 2016. Philip Morris USA (PM USA) today made its annual Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) payment.  This year's payment is approximately \\$3.6 billion, after adjusting for various items related to the Non-Participating Manufacturer adjustment disputes.

Since signing the tobacco settlement agreements in the late 1990s, PM USA has paid more than \\$74 billion to the states. These payments provide states valuable resources to fund tobacco cessation and underage tobacco prevention programs. PM USA believes states should use settlement payments to fund these programs at levels recommended by the Centers for Disease Control.

PM USA deposited a portion of today's payment into the Disputed Payments Account, in accordance with the terms of the MSA and calculations made by the independent auditor.