Japan tobacco tries to profit from smoking and cancer – controls rights to future lung cancer treatments based on genetic patents
ASH release
12 November 2001 immediate
Japan tobacco tries toprofit from smoking and cancer - controls rights to future lung cancertreatments based on genetic patents
An international tobacco company is planning to profit fromlung cancer, it has emerged today [
A new report by the genetic policy research group,GeneWatch, reveals that Japan Tobacco International - the owner of Mild Sevenand the Camel and Winston brands outside the US -has bought the right todevelop vaccines and treatments for lung cancer based on genetic patents ownedby Corixa Corporation - a biotech company. See GeneWatch report [2] and
ASH condemned the deal, claiming that it marks “a newfrontier in cynicism and greed” even for the tobacco industry. Clive Bates, Director of ASH, said:
“It's the remorseless and hideouslogic of the tobacco business at work - if your customers are going down withterminal cancer, you might as well try to make some money from their sufferingonce you've sold them a lifetime supply of cigarettes. It's a kind of vertical integration ofsmoking and cancer, all in the name of profit.”
What's wrong with a tobacco company wanting to be involvedin dealing with the consequences of its product? ASH highlighted Japan Tobacco's role in blocking measures aimedat reducing smoking. Japan Tobacco isbringing a legal challenge to European Directive (2001/37/EC), which bansdescriptors such as ‘light' because they are misleading. It is also promotingvoluntary marketing restrictions focussed primarily on young people - an approachcertain to fail and pure public relations aimed at improving their image andavoiding meaningful regulation. CliveBates added:
“There is already a simple curefor lung cancer - just quit smoking early enough or never start. The trouble is that tobacco industry doesjust about everything possible to derail effective measures to reduce smoking.What kind of sick minds think its better to cause lung cancer then profit fromits treatment than to prevent it by reducing smoking?”
The deal raises ethical issues and concerns about the tradein rights to genetic information.
“I can't believe that the peoplewho consented to give samples of lung tissue for research would want theresults controlled by a tobacco company” said Bates “this shows how money speakslouder than ethics and there couldn't be a clearer case for controls on whoowns genetic information and what they can do with it.”
Contact:
Dr. Helen Wallace,GeneWatch +44 (0)1298 871898 (w) +44(0)7903 311584 (m).
Clive Bates, ASH, +44 (0)20 7739 5902 (w) +44 (0)77 68791237 (m)
[1] TheGuardian 12/11/2001
[2] GeneWatch report
[3] GeneWatch press release
Genewatch web site
