A study by the Molinari Institute directly inspired by Philip Morris

The Molinari Institute has just published a study on new tobacco and nicotine products, which downplays the risks associated with heated tobacco devices. This study takes up the theories of the tobacco industry and is based in particular on work financed by Altria, the parent company of Philip Morris International.

To disseminate its ideas to consumers, journalists and public decision-makers, the tobacco industry frequently uses think tanks. Although it claims "his intellectual independence", the Molinari Economic Institute (IEM) is one of these think tanks, as confirmed by the latest study it has just published[1].

The IEM study suggests that the decline in tobacco consumption in France is mainly due to shifts towards new tobacco and nicotine products.[2]. Taking up the discourse of risk reduction, the study estimates that the health of consumers would benefit from this trend, while obscuring the effects of anti-smoking policies on the reduction of smoking prevalence.

Scientific references provided by the tobacco industry

The IEM study draws on several studies funded by the tobacco industry. One of them is a meta-analysis that aims to compare the toxicity of different tobacco and nicotine products. This study places the toxicity level of heated tobacco between that of snus and that of e-cigarettes, far from that of cigarettes, rolling tobacco and cigarillos.[3]. The study in question, however, was written by employees of Altria, the Philip Morris branch in the United States. Among the "peers" who validated the publication of this study, there is also a group of four Altria employees, based at the company's headquarters in Richmond, North Carolina. It is therefore a study produced, controlled and validated by Altria.

The example of Japan, where sales of IQOS products are significant, is frequently cited by Philip Morris International (PMI). The Molinari Institute here cites the results of a 2020 study, whose authors have participated several times in the Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum, the annual meeting of tobacco manufacturers.[4]This study is notably used in its arguments by the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World (FSFW)[5], an organization exclusively funded by PMI to the tune of 400 million dollars (368 million euros)[6]. Through FSFW, PMI is indeed seeking to impose the theme of risk reduction at the tenth Conference of the Parties (COP10) of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which will be held in Panama from February 5 to 10, 2024.

Promotion of snus and heated tobacco

Echoing the current PMI rhetoric, the Molinari Institute also cites Sweden as an example for its low smoking prevalence, while Sweden is distinguished above all by the strong anti-smoking measures adopted and rigorously applied. It is thus one of the first countries to have generalized smoking cessation measures as early as 2019. smoke-free outdoor spaces, such as playgrounds, school outings or beaches. The cigarette manufacturer attributes this low prevalence to the use of snus[7], with a view to promoting its own smokeless tobacco products. After the redemption from Swedish Match in 2022, PMI has indeed become the world leader in snus.

To gain respectability, the IEM also mentions the work of Public Health France on the evolution of the use of electronic cigarettes in France[8]. This quote, however, is essentially intended to give credibility to the message and to associate heated tobacco with electronic cigarettes, a marketing strategy also deployed by the tobacco manufacturer at points of sale. The toxicity of heated tobacco devices would nevertheless be closer to that of conventional cigarettes than of electronic cigarettes, as independent studies have highlighted.[9].

The Molinari Institute, a loyal ally of the tobacco industry

The Molinari Institute was already known for its links with PMI. It is thus part of the Epicenter network, which coordinates pro-tobacco think tanks in Europe.[10]. Epicenter is funded by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), a British think tank historically linked to the tobacco industry since 1963.[11], which is also a declared partner of the IEM. The IEA and the IEM are part of the Atlas Network, directly supported by the tobacco industry and which funds ultra-liberal think tanks worldwide that are favorable to its interests. Also committed to climate-sceptic issues, the Molinari Institute was ranked 47th out of 53 French think tanks evaluated by the European Think Tank Observatory in 2017. The IEM's low score (23/100) was due to its low production, its governance, and its lack of integrity, legitimacy and credibility.

In France, between February 2012 and July 2013, the Molinari Institute published no fewer than 13 written interventions to oppose the increase in taxes on tobacco products and the denormalization of tobacco.[12]. He fueled controversy over the price of tobacco products in 2019[13], Then in 2021. Since 2019, it has also published a barometer intended to measure the moralizing nature of European countries based on their public health policy. Co-signed with Epicenter, the 2023 edition of this barometer includes a focus on “combustion-free tobacco products,” which is almost a synthesis of the study discussed here.[14]. This passage is based mainly on the study evaluating the toxicity of the products, mentioned above (Murkett et al., 2022)³.

Despite its stated independence, the study produced by the Molinari Institute strongly resembles a plea in favor of PMI products. This study is in line with those carried out on heated tobacco: a systematic review of the literature had indicated that almost all studies favorable to heated tobacco present conflicts of interest with the tobacco industry, while these conflicts of interest are absent when they are unfavorable to it.[15]The authors of this study conclude that researchers funded by the tobacco industry – or who do not declare their conflict of interest – are not able to maintain a critical and objective point of view.

The Molinari Institute study does not include any author names or any mention of conflicts of interest. Its conclusions exactly reflect the discourse of tobacco manufacturers on their new tobacco and nicotine products. It thus participates in the efforts of influence that the tobacco industry is trying to exert on public decision-makers and international bodies to maintain its markets and profits, and in particular to maintain advantageous taxation for heated tobacco products.

To learn more about the Molinari Institute, consult our decryption.

Keywords: Molinari Institute, Altria, Philip Morris, interference, lobby, Smoke-Free Foundation, heated tobacco, electronic cigarettes

©Tobacco Free Generation

M.F.

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[1] The shift of consumers towards cigarette substitutes could be good news given the research showing that they represent at least 15 times less risk than traditional cigarettes., IEM, published January 17, 2024, accessed January 18, 2024.[2] Innovation for consumers and risk reduction: The case of cigarette substitutes, IEM, January 2024.[3] Murkett R, Rugh M, Ding B, Nicotine products relative risk assessment: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis, F1000Research, 2022, 9:1225, Last updated: 08 Dec 2022.[4] Cummings KM, Nahhas GJ, Sweanor DT. What Is Accounting for the Rapid Decline in Cigarette Sales in Japan? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17(10):3570. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17103570[5] Perspectives regarding the Report on the Tenth Meeting of the WHO Study Group on Tobacco Product Regulation to be considered at the 148th session of the Executive Board of the World Health Organization, Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, published December 23, 2020, accessed January 18, 2024.[6] Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, Tobacco Tactics, updated December 15, 2023, accessed January 18, 2024.[7] A tobacco pouch placed between the gum and lip. Often confused with nicotine pouches.[8] Pasquereau A, Andler R, Guignard R, Gautier A, Soullier N, Richard JB, et al. (2022). National and regional prevalence of smoking in France in 2021 among 18-75 year-olds, according to the Public Health France Barometer. Bull Epidemiol Hebd.; (26):470-80.[9] Goebel I, Mohr T, Axt PN, Watz H, Trinkmann F, Weckmann M, Drömann D, Franzen KF, Impact of Heated Tobacco Products, E-Cigarettes, and Combustible Cigarettes on Small Airways and Arterial Stiffness. Toxics 2023,11,758.[10] Epicenter, Tobacco Tactics, updated February 5, 2020, accessed January 18, 2024.[11] Institute of Economic Affairs, Tobacco Tactics, updated January 3, 2024, accessed January 18, 2024.[12] Eker F, Béguinot E, Martinet Y, Tobacco industry interference in public health policies, The Publisher, 2014.[13] The Molinari Economic Institute, at the service of the tobacco industry, CNCT, published on December 9, 2019, consulted on January 18, 2024.[14] 2023 indicator of moralizing states, 5th edition, Epicenter/IEM, October 2023.[15] Gallus S, Stival C, McKee M, Odone A, van den Brandt PA. Conflict of interest in research on heated tobacco products: A systematic review. Tobacco Prevention & Cessation. 2022;8(Supplement):A21.National Committee Against Smoking |