Right of reply from Norbert Neuvy, co-founder of Nicotine World, to the article “A global disinformation offensive in the run-up to COP11” published on October 8, 2025 on generationsanstabac.org

"  Norbert NEUVY is the author of the article published on the "Nicotine World" website, the content of which we mentioned in an article published on October 8, 2025, on the GST website. Considering that the article personally implicates him as the author and founder of the Nicotine World website, he intends to assert a right of reply, which we insert below.

The GST editorial team specifies that Norbert NEUVY, the author of the content published on the Nicotine World website, is also the President of the company NICOSWITCH, a commercial company formerly called LIBERTÉ DE FUMER (see the statutes in the link: https://www.pappers.fr/entreprise/nicoswitch-511581795).

However, this company sells nicotine pouches of several brands (whose marketing is prohibited from April 1, 2026) online to French consumers, including the VELO brand belonging to the British American Tobacco group and the ZYN brand, belonging to the Philip Morris group, and e-liquids. He is therefore directly interested, as president of this company, in the sale of nicotine products in the same way as these two tobacco industry companies."

Right of reply from Norbert Neuvy, co-founder of Nicotine World, to the article “A global disinformation offensive in the run-up to COP11” published on October 8, 2025 on generationsanstabac.org

"In accordance with Article 13 of the law of July 29, 1881 on freedom of the press, I exercise my right of reply in a personal capacity, as the person named and designated in the article published on October 8, 2025 by the National Committee against Tobacco (CNCT) on the website generationsanstabac.org, entitled "A global offensive of disinformation in the run-up to COP11", in which my person, as co-founder of the Nicotine World platform, is mentioned in a prejudicial context. The article presents the Nicotine World platform as a "relay of the nicotine lobby" and as a structure participating in an "international disinformation campaign". These assertions are false, unfounded and directly undermine my reputation as well as the credibility of the independent information work that I carry out as owner of the information site and responsible for the publication.

My platform, Nicotine World, is independent, with no industrial funding. Founded by two former smokers, including myself, Nicotine World has no capital, contractual, or financial ties with the tobacco industry. Our goal is to provide reliable, documented, and accessible information on nicotine and its uses. My content is based on scientific and institutional sources. Through Nicotine World, I do not promote any products or brands. I do not engage in any lobbying activity, and my publications are based exclusively on public health data and recognized scientific studies.

My op-ed of October 3, 2025, was not part of any “coordinated campaign.” The text published via BusinessWire was simply intended to open public debate on the ban on nicotine pouches in France, based on health and factual arguments. Its publication date coincided with a political event—Sweden’s reaction to a French decision—not with a global communications operation.

Finally, harm reduction is not the responsibility of the tobacco industry. I regret that the article conflates the notion of harm reduction, which is part of a public health approach, with an industrial communication strategy. Combating smoking requires objectively examining all solutions to reduce deaths linked to smoked tobacco."

Norbert Neuvy Co-founder of Nicotine World contact@nicotine-world.fr