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** 24 July 2023
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** UK
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** Blow to PMI as top executives quit (#1) Vectura (#1)
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** Opinion: ‘I’m a doctor – here’s how I would solve Britain’s obesity crisis’ (#2)
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** Cornwall: Liskeard play park to become smoke-free zone (#3)
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** UK
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** Blow to PMI as top executives quit Vectura

The pharmaceuticals business bought by Philip Morris International has suffered a series of senior departures amid other setbacks to the transformation of the world’s biggest tobacco group.

Michael Austwick, the chief executive of Vectura, the respiratory drugs company that Philip Morris contentiously acquired for £1 billion two years ago, is stepping down having been in the role only since he joined from Novartis in June last year.

This follows Thomas Gibbs, Vectura’s chief executive in the United States, who also left in 2023 after just over a year at the company and uncertainty over the future of Lizzie Knowles, Vectura’s CFO. Peter Halling, chief executive of another Phillip Morris acquired pharma business is also set to leave by the end of the year.

The acquisition of Vectura in 2021 by the maker of Marlboro cigarettes triggered a backlash from the public health sector. The company, based in Wiltshire, develops inhalers and medicines, including for smoking-related conditions. A coalition of public health bodies, clinicians and charities wrote to Vectura’s shareholders and directors before completion of the deal to warn it could “significantly hamper [the company’s] ability to continue operating as a viable, research-oriented business”.

The acquisition was intended to be part of Phillip Morris’ move into health and wellness; however, the company revealed a $680 million impairment charge in its health and wellbeing business, apparently due to unsuccessful clinical trials.

Philip Morris said that it therefore no longer expected to reach more than $1 billion of net revenues for the wellness and healthcare business by 2025, a key target at the time of the Vectura deal, and would reduce investment next year.

They declined to comment on the executive departures.

Source: The Times, 24 July 2023
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** Opinion: ‘I’m a doctor – here’s how I would solve Britain’s obesity crisis’

Three experts give their opinion on what we should be doing to tackle stubbornly high rates of obesity.

First to give his opinion is Prof David Halpern who is president of the Behavioural Insights Team, otherwise known as the Nudge Unit. His team were behind changes such as the sugar tax and removing high calorie food from checkouts. Prof Halpern believes that changing environments is key to reducing obesity rates, arguing that relying on people’s willpower is not effective enough. He states that people want to live healthy lives but achieving this means making healthier choices easy and thoughtless. In this way, changes to our environment are actually in line with what people want and prof Halpern therefore sees this kind of work as giving power back to the consumer.

Next to weigh in is GP, and chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, Prof Kamila Hawthorne. Concerned that two thirds of adults in Britian are overweight, Prof Hawthorne is worried about the impact obesity will have on the future of chronic diseases. She argues for better access to dieticians and psychological support, refencing how challenging losing weight, and keeping if off, can be.

She also calls for public health campaigns and better education on healthy eating, criticising the misconception that healthy eating is more expensive than fast food and other unhealthy options. This education must start young and Prof Hawthorne reiterates that it’s much harder to reverse the negative health outcomes of unhealthy diets than avoiding them in the first place: “prevention is far better than dealing with the aftermath”.

Finally, Dr Chris van Tulleken, author of Ultra Processed People, questions why we have failed to act when we know the impact of ultra-processed foods, high in fat, salt and sugar, have on weight gain and other diet-related diseases. He argues that we need to treat food companies like tobacco companies: they sell addictive products which are harmful for health yet face little restriction in marketing, to adults or children. Dr Tulleken is sceptical of the powers of education on nutrition when children are surrounded by easily available, cheap and aggressive junk food marketing.

Source: The Telegraph, 22 July 2023
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** Cornwall: Liskeard play park to become smoke-free zone

A play park is becoming smoke-free with the help of new signs designed by schoolchildren.

Cornwall Council said Castle Park in Liskeard will officially be a voluntary smoke-free park after an event at the site on Monday.

Dr Ruth Goldstein, assistant director of public health at Cornwall Council, said: "No child should have to breathe in second-hand smoke so it's great that youngsters in Liskeard are sending a clear message to smokers about this.

"We know children exposed to smoking are significantly more likely to take up smoking themselves and this event aims to remind adult smokers of their role and responsibilities in creating smoke-free environments for children."

Source: BBC News, 24 July 2023
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ASH Daily News is a digest of published news on smoking-related topics. ASH is not responsible for the content of external websites. ASH does not necessarily endorse the material contained in this bulletin.

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