For STOP, Vectura must now be treated as a player in the tobacco industry

On August 12, the acquisition of the British laboratory Vectura by Philip Morris International for the sum of 1.3 billion euros had caused a strong controversy among public health actorsThe Stopping Tobacco Organisations and Products (STOP) denounced the financial operation, which it announced as "very bad news for public health."[1].

Vectura acquisition fuels perpetuation of tobacco epidemic

For STOP, Philip Morris's acquisition of a manufacturer of inhalant medications and devices is a public relations ploy and an intrusion into an area where the tobacco company has no place. Indeed, the products sold by Vectura treat diseases primarily caused by PMI's core business: tobacco products. This gives the tobacco company even more incentive to perpetuate the tobacco epidemic, since it is now selling a drug to smokers made sick by consuming the manufacturer's own products.

Public Health and Philip Morris: Irreconcilable Interests

For STOP, the acquisition of a leading pharmaceutical company specializing in respiratory diseases is not enough to make Philip Morris International a public health player. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that the tobacco company remains a major obstacle to improving the global health situation. From the outset, the tobacco company has sought by all means to neutralize the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Similarly, the tobacco company's aggressive targeting of young people demonstrates a de facto incompatibility between the interests of the tobacco company and those of public health.

IQOS, a global threat to public health

According to the tobacco control organization, Philip Morris seeks to perpetuate tobacco and nicotine addiction through the promotion of its new heated tobacco device, IQOS, particularly in countries where smoking prevalence is declining, thanks to the implementation of proven public health policies. Structurally, PMI's economic survival is closely linked to its ability to spread and perpetuate an industrial epidemic among a new generation of consumers. Furthermore, STOP points out that more than half of the people who say they are interested in IQOS are people who have never smoked, suggesting that this new device is more like a gateway product to nicotine consumption, and ultimately to traditional tobacco products.

Vectura, a full-fledged player in the tobacco industry

For STOP, this financial transaction has a very clear meaning: Vectura must now be considered a full-fledged player in the tobacco industry, and may therefore be subject to policies excluding such players. This acquisition therefore implies compliance with a certain number of restrictions on interactions between public authorities and the British laboratory, in order to avoid situations of conflict of interest, in accordance with the implementation guidelines of Article 5.3 of the Framework Convention, ratified by the United Kingdom and 180 other countries and regional organizations. Similarly, research institutions with clear ethical standards will no longer be able to work with Vectura, and scientific journals will no longer be able to publish its research.

FT

[1] STOP, Vectura Acquisition Means Tobacco Giant PMI Will Profit Twice From Smoking, 09/16/2021, (accessed 09/20/2021)