Okay, here’s a summary of the provided text, focusing on the key points and arguments:
Main Argument:
The tobacco industry is strategically moving into the pharmaceutical industry, specifically the nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) market, to maintain profits and influence as conventional tobacco use declines. This is seen as a way to continue profiting from nicotine addiction under the guise of helping people quit smoking.
Key points:
“Beyond Nicotine” Strategy: tobacco giants like British American Tobacco and Phillip Morris international are openly pursuing a “Beyond Nicotine” strategy, which includes becoming major players in the vape and pharmaceutical markets.
Research Support: Studies from the National Institute of Health in Maryland and the BMJ Global health journal document the tobacco industry’s pharmaceuticalization strategy, including important investments (e.g., Philip Morris spending $2 billion since 2008).
Acquisition of NRT Companies: tobacco companies are acquiring companies that produce nicotine replacement products. For example, British American Tobacco owns the company that sells Zonnic nicotine products in Norway. Phillip Morris International bought fertin Pharma, which makes Nicotinell smoking cessation products.
Conflict of interest: Phillip Morris, which sells Marlboro cigarettes, also owns Fertin Pharma, which sells Nicotinell smoking cessation products, creating a clear conflict of interest.
WHO Convention Concerns: The Cancer Society is concerned that the tobacco industry’s involvement in pharmaceuticals allows them to influence health policy and gain access to meetings and congregations they should be excluded from under the WHO Framework convention on Tobacco Control (specifically Article 5.3, which emphasizes transparency and preventing tobacco industry influence on policy).
Government Response: The Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care services acknowledges the situation but refers to the free market, stating they cannot control which players enter the pharmaceutical industry. They claim to be conscious of Article 5.3 of the Tobacco Convention.
* Cancer Society’s Concerns: The Cancer Society believes this strategy allows the tobacco industry to influence health policy without public awareness and that the high cost of these products will only benefit the tobacco industry.
In essence, the article argues that the tobacco industry is using the pharmaceutical industry to perpetuate nicotine addiction and maintain it’s profits, while perhaps undermining public health efforts to reduce smoking.
