Category: News This Week

Civic groups have warned of the potential negative impacts a proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement could have on the poor and their “medical rights,” according to a story by Lu Hsin-hui and Jay Chen for Focus Taiwan.

The warning came as ministers from 12 countries gathered in Singapore over the weekend for closed-door meetings on the trade bloc.

Fears were expressed over apparent proposals for granting longer patent periods for drugs, for granting drug-data exclusivity and for giving pharmaceutical companies more say in deciding which drugs were eligible for state subsidies as prescribed medications, and how much they were subsidized.

The South East Asia Tobacco Control Alliance, a civic group based in Bangkok, faulted the TPP negotiations for backtracking on the prevention of smoking-related health risks.

The World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control required its 170 signatories to act on the prevention of tobacco-related diseases, but, the Focus Taiwan story said, under current TPP proposals, each member government would be required to consult with tobacco companies when drafting restrictions.

Meanwhile, 32 U.S. groups have written to the U.S. Trade Representative, ambassador Michael Froman, seeking his explicit commitment that the U.S. will not propose or agree to any provisions in the TPP that would undermine the domestic sovereign rights of participating countries to adopt or maintain measures to reduce tobacco use and to prevent the harm it causes to public health.

The 32 mainly health groups pointed out what they saw as the compelling body of statements by major medical, public health and public interest organizations in the U.S. that had consistently called on the U.S. to exercise leadership in the negotiations on the TPP to advance tobacco control measures that contributed to reducing the enormous burden of disease related to tobacco use and prevent incursions by the tobacco industry against those measures.

“We must remove tobacco control measures and tobacco products from trade agreements and assure that tobacco control measures will not be subject to challenge through the TPP and all future trade agreements,” the letter stated. “Malaysia, a TPP trading partner, has proposed carving out tobacco control measures, and tobacco products, from the agreement. This proposal, if accepted, would set a standard in trade law that would complement the global consensus on fighting the tobacco epidemic enshrined in the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, to which all TPP countries are signatories.

“Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death, claiming over 6 million lives a year. Past trade agreements have provided opportunities for multinational tobacco corporations to make cigarettes cheaper, to launch massive marketing campaigns and to challenge public health measures such as a U.S. ban on clove cigarettes, and plain packaging. The U.S. must lead the way towards policies that protect and improve the public’s health.”

An attempt is being made to bury Ireland’s Department of Health in paper so as to frustrate efforts to introduce standardized packs for cigarettes sold in the country, according to a story in The Irish Examiner.

The department’s chief medical officer, Dr. Tony Holohan, told the committee on health and children that the department had received 6,000 submissions in recent months. “This is part of the tactical game to drown us in paper,” said Holohan, who claimed the submissions had originated from a number of sources.

Health Minister James Reilly introduced a standardized packaging bill at the committee meeting.

Holohan said some of the submissions made reference to the bill on standardized packaging, as well as the EU’s new tobacco products directive.

Meanwhile, Reilly has said that standardized packaging will help police tackle the illegal trade in cigarettes.

He said the introduction of standardized packaging would not help the illegal tobacco trade, as some had forecast.

NewCo’s country manager for Malawi, Robin Saunders, has been appointed to the board of the Malawi Tobacco Control Commission (TCC), where he is expected to serve until Sept. 9, 2016.

The TCC is responsible for, among other things, advising the government on tobacco-related matters, regulating the production, processing and marketing of tobacco, and promoting the sale of Malawi’s tobacco.

Saunders has been asked to represent both tobacco merchant companies and tobacco estate growers.

New York state lawmakers are urging people to sign petitions in favor of a long-stalled bill that would ban public assistance from being spent on alcohol, lap dances and cigarettes, according to a story by Kate Briquelet for The New York Post.

The Public Assistance Integrity Act would also ban welfare recipients from using their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards at liquor stores, casinos and adult-entertainment venues.

“We’re talking about . . . putting food on the table and not frittering away [benefits] on things like alcohol and cigarettes,” said Assemblyman Stephen Hawley, a Republican in western New York state.

The bill passed the Senate twice but is said to be stalled in the Assembly by Democratic leaders.

And the clock is ticking. According to a federal mandate, each state must pass welfare reforms by February 2014 or lose out on federal funding—$125 million in the case of New York.

But the bill’s sponsor, Assemblyman Michael Cusick, has said he has had assurances that the ban can be passed administratively. “We know we’re up against a deadline in order to adhere to the federal guidelines,” he said. “I have assurances that it’s being done.”

Health and law experts say that regional anti-smoking regulations in China lack the teeth to protect nonsmokers from secondhand tobacco smoke, according to a story in the China Daily.

China is said to be looking at a national ban on tobacco smoking in enclosed public areas. Currently, more than 10 cities have smoking regulations, all of which ban smoking in such areas.

“But implementation of the law is unsatisfactory, mostly because there is a lack of enforcement and awareness of the law,” said Wang Qingbin, associate professor with the China University of Political Science and Law, at a symposium staged by the Beijing-based tobacco control campaign ThinkTank and the Tobacco Control Office of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The municipal-level rules mainly targeted public businesses such as restaurants, Internet bars, hotels and movie theaters, but did not focus on individual smokers, he said.

Japan Tobacco International has appointed Anastasios Sitsas as general manager of its Korean operation, according to a story in The Korea Herald.

Sitsas began his career as a consumer and trade marketing expert in 1990 at the British tobacco manufacturer Gallaher.

After Gallaher was acquired by JTI in 2007, he headed JTI’s regional operations in Central Asia, including those in Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan.

Prior to taking over at JTI Korea, he led the strategic marketing of Sobranie, Glamour, Benson & Hedges and Silk Cut from JTI’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

“I plan to effectively leverage the diverse experience that I have gained while working in various countries across the globe to offer high-quality products and services that satisfy the needs of Korean consumers,” Sitsas said.

Altria was recognized yesterday as one of the U.S.’s most community-minded companies when it was included on The Civic 50, an annual initiative that identifies and recognizes companies for their commitment to improving the quality of life in the communities where they do business.

The survey was conducted by the National Conference on Citizenship and Points of Light, the nation’s definitive experts on civic engagement, and published by Bloomberg News.

“Altria and its family of companies have a long history of contributing to organizations that enrich and improve the communities where our employees live and work,” said Jennifer Hunter, Altria Client Services’ senior vice president, corporate affairs.

“We work to develop strong partnerships with leading nonprofit organizations with proven-effective programs.

“Over the past 10 years, Altria’s companies have donated more than $1.1 billion in cash and in-kind contributions to improve the communities where we operate.

“In addition, our employees give their time, talents and resources to organizations through volunteer service in the community and our Altria Companies Employee Community Fund.

“We are pleased to be recognized for this work and the difference corporations and citizens can make in our communities when we work together.”

Michael Weiser, chairman of the board for the National Conference on Citizenship, and Neil Bush, chairman of the board for Points of Light, said in a joint statement that the results of this year’s Civic 50 survey had shown that even the most civically engaged companies were doing more to make community engagement a top priority and a permanent aspect of their business strategy.

“These 50 companies are showing others in the private sector how to boost the bottom line and make the world a better place.”

Almost 70 employees working for Imperial Tobacco subsidiaries in Madrid have taken part in the company’s first community help day held in the city.

The initiative was launched as part of the company’s corporate responsibility framework and co-ordinated through the Altadis Foundation.

Volunteers carried out tasks such as weeding and decorating to help spruce up two rundown areas in the Spanish capital.

The volunteers included the general manager for Iberia, Juan Arrizabalaga, and Premium Cigar Director Fernando Dominguez.

Sandra Maynegra, marketing manager for Cuban cigars, described the day as a “great experience,” while Rodrigo de Carlos, finance controller for Altadis, said the day’s activities might encourage some of the people involved to start volunteering on an individual basis.

Susan Cameron (Ivey) was yesterday elected to rejoin the RAI board of directors.

Cameron—or Ivey as she was then known—retired as chairman, president and CEO of RAI in February 2011.

She had served on the RAI board between 2004 and 2011.

Also yesterday, H.G.L. “Hugo” Powell retired from the RAI board.

Powell was one of RAI’s original board members when the company went public in July 2004.

Reynolds American Inc. said yesterday that its board of directors had declared a quarterly cash dividend on the company’s common stock of $0.63 per share ($2.52 per share annualized).

The dividend will be payable on Jan. 2 to shareholders of record on Dec. 16.

The company said that this was the 38th consecutive quarterly cash dividend that RAI had declared since it became a public company on July 30, 2004.