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According to tobacco control campaigners, Westminster and Holyrood “must up their game” to prevent tobacco firms from influencing public health policies. A report published in November by the University of Bath’s Tobacco Control Research Group says the UK Government has given tobacco companies opportunities in policy areas of significant public interest by lobbying under the guise of corporate social responsibility. Campaigners also raised concern over the Scottish Government’s failure to meet its commitment to audit its compliance with the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, made in 2013.
The report points out that in 2020 British American Tobacco lent the UK government equipment from its research laboratory for use in COVID-19 testing centres, following a request from ministers. The report also highlights the UK Government’s international links to the tobacco industry. Despite Foreign and Commonwealth Office guidelines, UK diplomats have engaged with the tobacco industry in countries such as Brazil and Pakistan. The study concluded there was a lack of transparency across government departments about their interactions with the tobacco industry and its front groups.
Sheila Duffy, chief executive of ASH Scotland, said: “Tobacco is the single most damaging consumer product on the market, and the corporate multi-nationals who promote it and profit from it have long and well-documented track records of deceit and attempts to interfere with proposed public health measures. Westminster and Holyrood governments must reject any suggestion that the industry and its vested interests are valid health stakeholders or partners.”
Source: The Ferret, 30 November 2021
See also: United Kingdom 2021 TOBACCO INDUSTRY INTERFERENCE INDEX
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Public health services in Staffordshire have been given a more than £10 million boost to cope with demand resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. The money has been spent on lifting affected residents out of fuel poverty, investing in drug and alcohol addiction treatment, supporting young people’s mental health, and helping residents quit smoking, particularly in pregnancy.
A new Staffordshire County Council report said that drug-related deaths were rising in line with the national average, that alcohol consumption was higher than the national rate, and diagnosis of diabetes was also on the rise. More positively, the report stated that the number of residents smoking was falling faster than the national rate.
Julia Jessel, Cabinet Member for Health and Care at Staffordshire County Council, said: “Staffordshire is generally a healthy place, with life expectancy similar to the national average. However, there are health inequalities within the county which have been exacerbated by the Covid lockdown. It’s vital we work with other services across the county to maintain a strong public health programme to help residents help themselves to live healthier, active lives.”
Source: Express & Star, 30 November 2021
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A new study suggests men who vape may be more likely to experience erectile dysfunction (ED). The study was based on a survey of 11,207 men over 20 years old with no prior cardiovascular disease diagnosis (CVD). Respondents were classified as never, former, and current (occasional or daily) vapers. Almost half of the participants were former cigarette smokers, 21% were current cigarette smokers, and 14% used other tobacco products.
Analysis of the survey data found a significant association between e-cigarettes use and ED among respondents aged 20 to 65 with normal Body Mass Index and without CVD. Compared to those who never used e-cigarettes, daily e-cigarette users were more than twice as likely to report having ED.
The study is not able to demonstrate a causa link between e-cigarette use and ED and the researchers also note that the analysis is based on self-reported data, meaning that the results may be limited in their reliability. There were also no data indicating whether the respondents were taking any medications associated with ED, such as antidepressants or beta-blockers. The study authors said that further research was needed to understand what relationship might exist between e-cigarettes and ED.
Source: SCIENMAG, 1 December 2021
See also: Daily Mail - Men who use e-cigarettes are more than twice as likely to suffer erectile dysfunction than non-smokers, study finds
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A person diagnosed with cancer in Australia now has a 70% chance of surviving for five years or more, up from 51% 30 years ago. However, the latest government statistics show that Australians living in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas are 40% more likely to die from cancer.
People living in the least disadvantaged areas of Australia have a mortality rate of 130 per 100,000 people, as compared to 185 per 100,000 in poorer areas, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's Cancer in Australia 2021 report shows. People in poorer areas are also twice as likely to die from lung cancer, the report found. Indigenous Australians are 45% more likely to die than their non-Indigenous counterparts - 230 and 159 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively.
Prostate and breast cancer are the most diagnosed cancers for men and women, respectively, with melanoma, colorectal and lung cancers the next three most common in both gender categories. Personal and behavioural risk factors such as smoking and obesity continue to contribute to the cancer burden, with 42% of all incidences of cancer being attributable to them across Australia.
Source: Daily Mail, 30 November 2021
See also: AIHW Report - Cancer in Australia 2021
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Altria and Philip Morris International (PMI) can no longer sell or import IQOS tobacco devices in the US after the Biden administration opted to uphold a patent infringement ruling.
R.J. Reynolds, a subsidiary of British American Tobacco (BAT), had filed a patent claim with the US International Trade Commission, arguing that Altria and PMI’s IQOS device infringed on its patents. In late September, the ITC ruled in favour of Reynolds. As part of the process, the Biden administration conducted a 60-day administrative review and decided not to take any action to reverse the ITC's decision, putting an effective ban on sales and imports of IQOS.
However, this is not the end of the patent dispute between Reynolds, Altria and Philip Morris. Reynolds also filed two claims with the US Patent and Trademark Office over IQOS. Early rulings are expected in 2022, although decisions can be appealed, which could drag the process out even longer. Philip Morris said that its contingency plans to return to the US are underway. The two companies could also move production of IQOS to the US or change the design enough to avoid patent infringement claims.
Source: CNBC, 30 November 2021
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