View this email in your browser ([link removed])


** 19 July 2021
------------------------------------------------------------


** UK
------------------------------------------------------------


** Global health body alarmed by Vectura bid (#1)
------------------------------------------------------------


** Comment: Vectura shareholders should stub Philip Morris deal out (#2)
------------------------------------------------------------


** Big Tobacco struggles to convince tobacco control advocates (#3)
------------------------------------------------------------


** Scotland: Asthma hospital cases fall following car smoking ban (#4)
------------------------------------------------------------


** International
------------------------------------------------------------


** The US to allow a temporary rise in impurities in varenicline (#5)
------------------------------------------------------------


** UK
------------------------------------------------------------


**
------------------------------------------------------------


** The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that Big Tobacco is seeking to establish partnerships in healthcare to undermine the control of its “deadly products.”

In a comment, the WHO said that although it was not aware of the details of the deal, it cautioned that the tobacco industry had diversified to protect its interests and had used “its economic power, lobbying and marketing machinery to propagate the sale and distribution of its deadly product.”

“It is important for governments, industries, non-governmental organisations and the general public to be aware of the wide range of tactics the tobacco industry utilises to undermine the hard-gained advances we have made in tobacco control. Establishing partnerships with health interests is just one of the tactics they use. The industry can and will use these tactics to participate in health debates and influence policymaking to undermine our progress.”

The government has faced calls to block the deal from shadow ministers as well as healthcare charities. In a joint letter sent on Thursday to Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, and Sajid Javid, the health secretary, the chief executives of Cancer Research UK, Asthma UK, British Lung Foundation and Action on Smoking and Health voiced similar concerns to the WHO.

The UK is a signatory of the WHO’s framework convention on tobacco control and article 5.3 aims to reduce industry influence in public health policymaking. The charities argued that should the takeover go ahead, the government and public authorities would need to limit interactions with Vectura.

Source: The Times, 17 July 2021

See also: Letter to The Times - Tobacco Takeover ([link removed])

The Times - Tobacco giant Philip Morris blasts critics of drug deal with Vectura ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Read Article ([link removed] )


**
------------------------------------------------------------


** Simon Duke, an editor in the Times, argues that the proposed takeover of Vectura, a British pharmaceutical drug company, by Philip Morris International (PMI) is a display of astounding arrogance.

Duke highlights that if stakeholders are wavering, they should pay attention to the uproar that the proposed takeover has sparked. He adds that the World Health Organization (WHO) has also criticised the move, warning that “cigarette manufacturers attempted to influence the legislative process and hinder efforts to ban smoking by forming alliances with healthcare organisations.”

The author mentions that Anti-smoking charities, including Cancer Research UK, and ASH, have been more explicit in their criticism. He highlights that the leading health organisations have written a joint letter to the government, stating that PMI had a “long history of subverting tobacco control policies for its own financial gain.” Allowing it to buy Vectura would leave Britain in breach of article 5.3 of the World Health Organisation’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

Duke points out that Vectura Chairman Bruno Angelici had every right to reject Philip Morris. He concludes that “investors should do Vectura’s staff a favour and reject this offer. By doing so, they’ll show a degree of integrity that’s been so lacking in the boardroom.”

Source: The Times, 17 July 2021
------------------------------------------------------------
Read Comment ([link removed] )


**

------------------------------------------------------------


** The tobacco industry has faced constant scepticism since evidence emerged decades ago that it had lied to the public about the dangers of smoking. So, it is no surprise that Philip Morris International’s £1 billion acquisition of a British pharmaceutical company – Vectura, sparked criticism.

The New York-listed group, which has a market capitalisation of $155 billion, characterised its offer for pharma business Vectura earlier this month as part of its “natural evolution into a broader healthcare and wellness company”. Nonetheless, the UK government has promised to keep an eye on the deal on public interest grounds. It is one of a string of acquisitions big tobacco companies have made to diversify beyond their traditional business — in products from vapes and e-cigarettes to oral nicotine pouches. Since 2008, it has invested $8 billion to support its strategy for smoke-free products.

Health campaigners, however, question how much an industry that has for decades been accused of dark money lobbying and sponsoring questionable academic studies should be trusted when it says it is interested in health. According to British American Tobacco, the global tobacco industry is worth roughly $818bn, sells to nearly one in five people on the planet. Meanwhile, smoking, including secondhand smoke, kills approximately 8 million people a year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This compares with the about 4.1 million recorded COVID-19 deaths to date.

The market is split on the industry’s attractiveness. Many investors stripped tobacco from their portfolio’s years ago, but others are drawn by the outsized cash flows that an addictive product can generate. The industry’s critics have another worry: its need for new consumers if existing smokers move to cigarette alternatives. Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), remains unconvinced that the tobacco industry can successfully move away from nicotine products. “Philip Morris has put forward this idea that it is all about converting smokers, not addicting new generations,” she said. “But long term, it can only work if you addict new generations.”

Source: Financial Times, 16 July 2021
------------------------------------------------------------
Read Article ([link removed] )


**
------------------------------------------------------------


** A new study has found that hospital admissions for children under five with asthma in Scotland have fallen since legislation banning smoking in indoor public places was introduced in March 2006. This was quickly followed by legislation making it illegal to smoke in a vehicle carrying under-18s in December 2016.

Research led by the University of Glasgow, in collaboration with the universities of Aberdeen and Stirling, looked at data on asthma emergency admissions to hospitals in Scotland between 2000 and 2018 for children aged under 16. Globally, exposure to secondhand smoke is responsible for an estimated 169,000 deaths in childhood each year.

Researchers found that after the smokefree vehicle legislation was passed, asthma hospital admissions fell by 1.49% per month among pre-school children, though not in older children. Over the 19-year study period, there were 32,342 emergency admissions to hospitals for asthma among children aged under 16. Of these, 43% were among children under five, and 57% were among children aged five to 15. Among the children admitted to the hospital, almost a third (31%) lived in the most deprived quintile while 13% lived in the most affluent quintile.

Professor Jill Pell, the lead author from the University of Glasgow, said: “Our study demonstrates the significant benefit to children that smoke-free vehicle legislation has had. We found that the reduction in asthma hospitalisations was specific to pre-school children, which is plausible given that exposure to parental smoke is more likely among pre-school children, who spend more time with their parents.”

Source: The Independent, 17 July 2021

See also: The Lancet - Associations between smoke-free vehicle legislation and childhood admissions to hospital for asthma in Scotland: an interrupted time-series analysis of whole-population data ([link removed](21)00129-8/fulltext)
------------------------------------------------------------
Read Article ([link removed] )


** International
------------------------------------------------------------


**
------------------------------------------------------------


** The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Friday (16 July) it will temporarily allow manufacturers to distribute the smoking cessation drug - varenicline with elevated levels of an impurity that may cause cancer to maintain availability after Pfizer halted distribution in June.

The FDA said it would temporarily allow some manufacturers to distribute varenicline containing impurities above its intake limit of 37 nanograms per day, but below an interim limit of 185 ng per day, until the impurity can be eliminated or reduced to acceptable levels.

According to the FDA, the health benefits of stopping smoking outweigh the cancer risk posed by varenicline's nitrosamine impurity. Canadian generic drugmaker Apotex will temporarily distribute Apo-Varenicline tablets in the United States to help maintain adequate varenicline supply in the country for the near term, the FDA said.

The FDA determined that varenicline recalled by Pfizer poses an unnecessary risk to patients and recommended healthcare professionals consider other available treatment options.

Source: Reuters, 17 July 2021
------------------------------------------------------------
Read Article ([link removed] )
Have you been forwarded this email? Subscribe to ASH Daily News here. ([link removed])

For more information email [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or visit www.ash.org.uk
@ASHorguk ([link removed])

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.

============================================================
Our mailing address is:
Action on Smoking and Health
Unit 2.9, The Foundry
17 Oval Way
London
SE11 5RR

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])