Tobacco Industry News

Reports

Developing smokeless tobacco products for smokers: An examination of tobacco industry documents
Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Pretoria examined tobacco industry documents to investigate if the development of new smokeless tobacco products (SLT) were intentionally targeting current smokers. The study analyzed internal tobacco documents that detailed the development and targeting of SLT. The study found that tobacco manufacturers recognized shifting demographics of SLT users, changing social acceptability of public smoking and new policies aimed at restricting secondhand smoke exposure. This recognition has led to development of new SLT products and marketing by the industry that targets current smokers and encourages dual SLT and cigarette use. The researchers suggest that these efforts by the tobacco industry could result in unknown public health effects and produce significant challenges to tobacco control efforts. Click here to read an abstract of the research in the online journal Tobacco Control.

Phillip Morris Int’l to enter smokeless market
Philip Morris International, the world’s largest non-governmental cigarette maker, will be expanding distribution of smokeless tobacco products through a recent partnership with Scandinavia’s market leader, Swedish Match. The partnership will allow the new products to be marketed under the popular Marlboro brand. This is another example of the new trend among tobacco makers to seek alternatives to cigarettes as the demand has decreased due to successful tobacco control efforts. Click here to read more.

Phillip Morris USA raises cigarette prices
Philip Morris USA is raising prices on Marlboro and other cigarettes by about 9 cents per pack next week, with some of its smaller brands getting an 18-cent-per-pack increase. The news of this price increase comes after Phillip Morris’s parent company, Altria, reports a decrease in profits over the last quarter.  To read more, click here.

General Tobacco nears deal with states on MSA
General Tobacco, the sixth largest tobacco company in the U.S., did not join the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) until 2004, about six years after its enactment. Due to its late entry, the company was forced to pay back payments. The company has been attempting to strike a deal with all of the states to create a more predictable payment schedule and according to the tobacco company, they have reached a deal. Many of the states have already agreed to the deal, but the remaining states are still waiting for a ruling in a related California case before making any agreements. Click here to read more.

Alternative Brands, cigarette maker, files bankruptcy
Alternative Brands Inc. along with its parent company Renegade Holdings and Renegade Tobacco Co. have all filed for bankruptcy. Alternative Brands sought bankruptcy protection in the middle of disputes over terms of the industry wide settlement. The North Carolina company listed assets and debts ranging between ten and fifty million. Click here to read more.

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International

Geographical Information Systems as a tool for monitoring tobacco industry advertising (Greece)
Geographical Information Systems (GIS) approaches have traditionally been used to map disease outbreaks and environmental exposure. Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Crete wanted to examine the utility of this approach to monitor point-of-purchase (POP) tobacco advertising. The study used an ecological design to evaluate and interpret the spatial density and intensity of the POP and tobacco advertisements that were less than 300 miles from local high schools in Greece. The study found that on average there were 13 POPs and 4.4 billboards per school. All schools had at least one POP within 20 miles of the school gates. The study also found that kiosks that had been exempt from Greece’s tobacco advertising bans when compared to other POPs were closer and more visible to school gates and had significantly more external advertisements. Researchers concluded that the study demonstrated the effectiveness of utilizing a GIS system to monitor tobacco industry advertising.  Click here to read an abstract of the article in the online journal Tobacco Control.

Philip Morris involvement in the development of an air quality laboratory in El Salvador (El Salvador)
Researchers interested in tobacco industry involvement in air quality research laboratories in El Salvador examined tobacco industry documents to find evidence of this involvement. The study also searched for air quality research done in El Salvador and conducted interviews with laboratory personnel. The study determined that Philip Morris, a large tobacco company, tried to establish air quality laboratories throughout Latin America. In El Salvador, a subsidiary of Philip Morris, provided support to a local air quality laboratory, called FUSADES, which was part of the Latin America Scientific Network. The study concluded that there should be careful interpretation of any air quality study conducted by the FUSADES laboratory considering the support it received from Philip Morris. Click here to read an abstract of the study in the online journal Tobacco Control.

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