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ASH Daily News for 28 November 2007

USA: RJ Reynolds to stop print ads next year

The R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co, which has been under intense pressure from anti-smoking groups and members of Congress over print adverts for its cigarettes, said it would not advertise its brands in newspapers or consumer magazines next year.

The company had been criticized sharply for both its colourful and feminine Camel No. 9 adverts, which appeared in fashion magazines and were seen as cynically aimed at young women.

R.J. Reynolds spokeswoman Jan Smith said the decision had been made sometime before October and was unrelated to the Rolling Stone controversy.

In a telephone interview, Smith called the move "an effort by the company to enhance and sharpen the effectiveness and efficiency of its marketing programmes and the company had taken into account, the protests over the Camel No. 9 adverts."

"Obviously tobacco industry issues are in mind with every decision we make," Smith said. "A result of this is there should be less controversy over cigarette advertising in magazines and newspapers, because we won't be doing it."

The Washington based Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, which has long protested the Camel adverts, called the company's decision "more a strategy to deflect criticism than a real change in marketing."

Matthew Myers, president of the group, said it was unfortunate that R.J. Reynolds had not committed to permanently stop print advertising. Smith said the company, based in Winston-Salem, N.C., would make decisions about future years at a later time.

Myers also said the company has far to go to curtail egregious marketing practices, which include promotions at bars and nightclubs.

He added,"What they've done is just to limit the adverts that have prompted the fiercest criticism, because they are the most visible. The company is still engaging in direct mail advertising, heavy promotion at retail outlets, and price promotion "for the brands kids like most."

The print adverts account for only a tiny portion of what the tobacco industry spends on marketing. But they've been notable because they often appear in magazines side by side with articles promoting women's health.

Print adverts for tobacco are banned in a number of countries, including throughout Europe, but legal in the United States. Tobacco advertising was banned from radio and TV a long time ago and more recently from billboards.

A number of magazines refuse to accept tobacco adverts. A few are Self, Men's Health and Money, according to the Tobacco-Free Periodicals Project.

Source: Associated Press, 28 November 2007
Link: http://tinyurl.com/24bdkj

New study examines how secondhand smoke damages lungs

For the first time, researchers have identified structural damage to the lungs caused by secondhand cigarette smoke.

The results of the study, conducted by researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, were presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

Dr Chengbo Wang said, "It's long been hypothesised that prolonged exposure to secondhand smoke may cause physical damage to the lungs, but previous methods of analysing lung changes were not sensitive enough to detect it."

Dr. Wang and colleagues used long-time-scale, global helium-3 diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study the lungs of 43 volunteers, including seven current and former smokers and 36 people who had never smoked, 18 of whom had a high level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

Helium-3 diffusion MRI differs from conventional MRI in that the patient inhales a specially prepared helium gas prior to imaging, and the scanner is adjusted to collect images showing this helium gas in tissue. MR measures how far the helium atoms move, or diffuse, inside the lungs during a specific time period, 1.5 seconds in this study. Using this method, radiologists and physicists can detect changes deep in the small airways and sacs in the lungs, which can break down, become enlarged and develop holes after prolonged exposure to cigarette smoke. Helium-3 diffusion MRI identifies this damage by measuring the increased distance the helium atoms move.

"With this technique, we are able to assess lung structure on a microscopic level," Dr. Wang said.  Measurements were translated into scores called apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values for each of the participants. An increased ADC value indicates that the helium atoms were able to travel farther during the measurement time. Fifty-seven per cent of the smokers and 33 per cent of the non-smokers with high exposure to secondhand smoke had ADC values greater than 0.024, suggesting that early lung damage was present. In addition, 14 percent of smokers, 67 percent of high-exposure nonsmokers, and 39 percent of low-exposure nonsmokers had ADC values below 0.0185. Relatively low ADC values in adults are a possible indication of a developing respiratory problem, such as chronic bronchitis or asthma.

Dr Wang said, "These findings suggest that breathing secondhand smoke can injure your lungs."

Source: Science Daily, 27 November 2007
Link: http://tinyurl.com/3ystx8

Capital feels London boost

The Capital Pub Company has toasted strong results for the half year as London drinkers kept spending despite the disappointing summer.

Capital chief executive David Bruce said they were "very lucky" to be in this resilient London economy and that the impact of the smoking ban has been positive on Capital’s 27 pubs.

“We have seen no slowdown in consumer spending and we are 80% liquor-led,” he said.

Bruce said after Capital’s year end results in July that the combination of higher margins on liquor sales and lower wage bills showed that drink led pubs are still financially viable.

Turnover for the 26 weeks ending 29 September 2007 increased by 36% to £9.16m, with pre-tax profits up 21% to £2.21m.

Source: Caterersearch, 27 November 2007
Link: http://tinyurl.com/3a4g6u

Scotland: Tobacco initiative lit up

A campaign group that presses for more controls to beat tobacco smuggling is to launch its new drive at the Scottish Parliament.

The Tobacco Alliance is a coalition of 16,500 independent retailers who sell tobacco products.

The initiative is being launched on December 11.

Source: Scotsman, 27 November 2007
Link: http://tinyurl.com/3xhw7a