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** 14 July 2021
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** UK
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** Philip Morris takeover of Vectura sparks outrage amongst politicians and health groups (#1)
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** Ministers urged to scrutinise takeover of Vectura by Philip Morris International (#2)
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** Revealed: the cost of smoking to local government social care costs in the North West and Kent (#3)
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** More than 1m children from key worker families living in poverty, says TUC (#4)
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** International
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** Study: Alcohol caused 740,000 cancer cases globally last year (#5)
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** Parliamentary Activity
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** Parliamentary questions (#6)
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** UK
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**
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** Politicians and public health groups have reacted with outrage to Philip Morris’ proposed takeover of the lung treatments specialist Vectura.

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said it was “totally wrong” that Philip Morris would seek to profit from conditions such as asthma and serious lung disease. “[It] has done absolutely nothing positive for people’s health, and instead has done everything possible to try and stop governments passing anti-smoking legislation,” he said.

Jon Ashworth, the Shadow Health Secretary, said it was a “massive test of Sajid Javid’s commitment to public health. We do not think this is an appropriate takeover.” Conservative MP Bob Blackman, who also chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health, said he would write to Health Minister Jo Churchill to ensure Philip Morris was not allowed to use its ownership of Vectura to “worm its way back into government circles”.

Source: The Times, 11 July 2021
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** The business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has asked officials to monitor the proposed £927 million takeover of Vectura by Philip Morris International (PMI) after concerns were raised with government about the deal. Kwarteng is understood to want to better understand the plans that PMI has for Vectura, which specialized in developing inhaled treatments for respiratory diseases.

There is thought to be unease in government that a tobacco company selling products that cause lung diseases is planning to buy a company that is developing therapies to treat some of those conditions. The 150p-per-share all-cash takeover caught the City by surprise when it was announced last week and has sparked a growing backlash from health groups.

Jon Ashworth, Labour’s shadow health secretary, and Ed Miliband, the shadow business secretary, wrote to Kwarteng and Sajid Javid, the health secretary, over the weekend, urging the government to intervene. They have asked ministers to publicly scrutinise Philip Morris’s intentions, to listen to medical research charities “horrified” at the deal and to “work to ensure the future of this vital company is not in any way at risk”.

Ashworth and Miliband are calling on the government to use new powers under the Enterprise Act 2002 “to intervene in mergers and acquisitions to mitigate the effects of public health emergencies”. However, officials are understood to think that the scope for intervention in this case is limited on public health emergency grounds.

Source: The Times, 14 July 2021
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** A new analysis from ASH has revealed the significant cost of social care needs caused by smoking in the North West. The analysis found that it would cost local authorities an additional £2 billion to meet the full demand for social care needs caused by smoking in the North West. The analysis also found that around 162,700 people in the North West are estimated to be receiving care from unpaid carers such as friends and family for needs caused by smoking whilst a further 66,800 people have care needs caused by smoking which are not met by paid or unpaid care in the North West.

In Kent, the analysis found that health problems in over-50s caused by smoking will cost local authorities more than £42 million in social care charges this year. It is estimated that in Kent 2,642 over-50s receive state-funded care in their own homes due to needs caused by smoking, while 544 people are in residential care for smoking related-needs. Around 34,040 people in Kent receive unpaid care for smoking-attributable needs, worth £253m a year.

Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive of ASH, said: “Securing the Government’s vision of a smokefree country by 2030 will make all the difference. It will ease pressure on the social care system and build resilience in our communities, enabling people to live longer, healthier lives. Local authorities have a key role to play in ending smoking, but they cannot do it without additional funding. ASH backs calls on the government to introduce a ‘polluter pays’ levy on tobacco manufacturers to pay for the support needed to end smoking in this country.”


Source: About Manchester, July 14 2021

See also:
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** Kent Online - Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) says smoking-related social care costs for over-50s exceed £40m in Kent in 2021 ([link removed])
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** ASH - Smoking across England costs local government £1.2 billion in social care costs every year ([link removed])
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** ASH - The cost of smoking to the social care system ([link removed])
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Read Article ([link removed])


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** New research published by the TUC has found that more than a million children from key worker households (equivalent to one in five children of key workers) in England, Scotland, and Wales are living below the official poverty line. This figure rises to almost one in three children of key workers in the worst-affected region, the North East. The TUC said that low pay and insecure hours – widespread in occupations such as social care, supermarkets and delivery drivers – were the main reasons for in-work poverty among key workers.

The report, prepared for the TUC by the consultancy Landman Economics and using the government definition of key workers, found that 29% of the children of key-worker households in the north-east were living in poverty, followed by London (27%), the West Midlands (25%) and Yorkshire and the Humber (25%). The lowest rates were in the east of England (15.5%) and the south-west (15.6%).

The TUC said that as well as pay and hours, high housing costs were reducing the amount of money key worker households could spend on groceries and utility bills. Support through universal credit, due to be cut by £20 a week in the autumn after a temporary pandemic uplift, was not enough to guarantee that families avoid poverty. Ministers have also capped pay rises for key workers in the public sectors, leading in some cases to cuts in wages when adjusted for inflation.

Source: The Guardian, July 13 2021

See also: TUC - One million children in key worker households live in poverty ([link removed])
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** International
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** New research published in The Lancet Oncology has found that alcohol is estimated to have caused more than 740,000 cancer cases around the world in 2020. The research found that alcohol consumption was behind an estimated 568,700 cancer cases in men and 172,600 cases in women in 2020, with the majority of the cancer cases involving cancers of the oesophagus, liver, and breast.

While most alcohol-caused cancer cases were linked to heavy or “risky” drinking, even moderate or low levels of alcohol consumption were estimated to have caused cases. The data indicated that drinking up to 10g of alcohol a day – equivalent to a half pint or small glass of wine – contributed somewhere between 35,400 and 145,800 cases globally in 2020.

The findings differed by region. The proportion of cancer cases estimated to be caused by alcohol was lowest in north Africa and west Asia but highest in east Asia and central and eastern Europe. In the UK an estimated 4% of cancer cases in 2020, about 16,800 cases, were linked to alcohol consumption. The figures are likely to be underestimates, not least because they do not take into account former drinking and only include cancers where there is strong evidence of alcohol being the cause.

Public awareness of the risks of alcohol for cancer appears to be low. One UK survey in 2018 found that only one in 10 people were aware that alcohol could cause cancer. The researchers suggested that to change this alcohol labels should have cancer warnings, there could be higher taxes on alcohol, and the marketing of drinks could be reduced.

Source: The Guardian, 13 July 2021

See also: The Lancet Oncology - Global burden of cancer in 2020 attributable to alcohol consumption: a population-based study ([link removed](21)00279-5/fulltext)
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** Parliamentary Activity
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**
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** PQ1: Tobacco Control Plan

Asked by Bob Blackman, Harrow East

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care when he plans to publish an updated Tobacco Control Plan

Answered by Jo Churchill, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care

The Government’s new Tobacco Control Plan will be published later this year.

It will set out a comprehensive package of ambitious policy proposals and supporting regulatory changes, to meet our ambition to be smoke free by 2030.
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**
Source: Hansard, 13 July 2021
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** PQ 2-6: Global Tobacco Regulators Forum (Grouped questions)

2. Asked by Adam Afriyie, Windsor

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government will be represented at the next meeting of the Global Tobacco Regulators Forum.

3. Asked by Adam Afriyie, Windsor

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on whether records of previous Global Tobacco Regulators Forums meetings which UK representatives have attended (a) exist and (b) are publicly available.

4. Asked by Adam Afriyie, Windsor

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to encourage other Parties at the forthcoming Global Tobacco Regulators Forums meeting to adopt harm reduction based alternatives to tobacco.

5. Asked by Adam Afriyie, Windsor

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what oversight the Government has over its representatives at the Global Tobacco Regulators Forum meetings.

6. Asked by Adam Afriyie, Windsor

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government plans to tackle potential misinformation on e-cigarettes at the Global Tobacco Regulators Forum meeting.

Answered by Jo Churchill, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care

The Fifth meeting of Global Tobacco Regulators Forum (GTRF) took place virtually from 7 to 9 July. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) No Tobacco Unit in the Health Promotion Department hosts the GTRF meetings. Papers for the meetings are not publicly available from the WHO.

Officials from the Department’s tobacco control policy team attended to represent the United Kingdom as leads and experts in tobacco control policy. This year’s meeting was attended by civil servants from the Tobacco Control team. Officials will report back to senior officials and Ministers with any key outcomes. The Department holds notes on previous GTRF forums.

Officials updated the GTRF on the UK’s tobacco control work and evidence-based position on harm reduction alternatives to tobacco, such as e-cigarettes. We also presented global evidence about harm reduction alternatives, and tackle any misinformation. We recognise that they play a vital role in helping smokers to quit and we will continue to advocate for their use as part of a comprehensive approach
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Source: Hansard, 5 July 2021
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