Former Philip Morris executive advises UK government on cancer risks

A former executive at cigarette maker Philip Morris International (PMI) has been given a role on an influential panel of experts advising the UK government on cancer risks, the Observer has revealed.[1].

Ruth Dempsey, former Director of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, spent 28 years at PMI before being appointed to the UK Committee on the Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (CoC). Prior to Ms Dempsey’s appointment, the CoC was involved in the review of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, two of PMI’s flagship products.

Responsible for regulating the IQOS heated tobacco device

Dempsey has played a key role in promoting the company’s interests in numerous media outlets. In a 2017 interview with a Costa Rican newspaper, she said that regulations in some countries made it difficult to launch the IQOS heated tobacco device, and suggested that countries change their regulatory frameworks to allow PMI to promote the benefits of IQOS to consumers.

Since taking office in February 2020, Dempsey has continued to be paid by PMI for work such as writing a PMI-sponsored paper on strategies for regulating heated tobacco products, which is due to be published in 2023.

She also owns stock in the tobacco company and receives a pension from PMI. On social media, she continues to engage with the company's senior executives, including liking the LinkedIn posts of the director of communications and the vice president of public affairs.

Since her appointment to the CdC, Dempsey has notably helped to facilitate a workshop on cancer risk assessment to an audience including representatives from the Health and Safety Executive. In her other private activities, she has promoted essential oils to “reduce your toxic load” through her company Science Speaks, which is registered in Lausanne, Switzerland, near PMI’s headquarters.

An appointment that goes against the obligations of the WHO Framework Convention, ratified by the United Kingdom

Ruth Dempsey’s appointment, previously unreported, raises questions about the risk of undue influence and access to privileged information on policy and regulatory matters that could benefit the tobacco industry. In particular, her new position runs counter to the principles of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, ratified by the UK government, which aims to limit interactions with the tobacco industry in order to protect public health policies from interference. The implementing guidelines for Article 5.3 of the treaty state that:"there is a fundamental and irreconcilable conflict between the commercial interests of the tobacco industry and the interests of public health policy," so that "Government officials should exercise caution when interacting...in all cases" - and limit contacts to those who are “strictly necessary”.

Sophie Braznell, who monitors heated tobacco products as part of the University of Bath's Tobacco Control Research Group, said: "By allowing a former executive and consultant for the world's largest tobacco manufacturer to join this advisory board, we are jeopardizing its objectivity and integrity."

©Generation Without Tobacco

AE

[1] Shanti Das, David Cox, Revealed: ex-director for tobacco giant advising UK government on cancer risks, The Guardian, published November 10, 2024, accessed November 12, 2024