GFN•TV: News and Interviews

In this video, we dive into the highlights and key takeaways from a recent global advocacy conference. Hear from Michael Landl as he shares his favorite sessions, including an inspiring talk by Ethan Nadelmann. Learn about the importance of community, shared experiences, and effective strategies across different countries.

Featuring Michael Landl, Jarkyn Shadymanova and Pranay Ratna Sakya.

For Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) to become widespread, affordable and appealing, reduced-risk alternatives to harmful tobacco products must be legally available and accessible. Achieving this requires sustained, substantial investment. The pace of harm reduction is closely tied to investment levels, influenced by potential risks and returns. Regulatory risk and uncertainty increase the returns required by investors, reducing available capital. Consequently:

- Reduced Investment in Product Development: Lower investment hinders the development of safer and more appealing products supported by scientific research. Without this, regulators are unlikely to consider them as effective harm-reduction solutions, and existing RRPs do not appeal to most smokers.

- Limited Accessibility in the Global South: Insufficient investment in cost reduction makes these products inaccessible to consumers in the Global South, home to 80% of harmful tobacco users.

- Hesitancy to Enter High-Risk Markets: Companies and investors are less likely to enter markets with high regulatory risk.

GFN 2024 Workshop - hosted by Pieter Vorster with panellists: Sud Patwardhan, Jonathan Fell and Marina Murphy

Supporting tobacco harm reduction is more than just pragmatic positioning to appease financial analysts and stakeholders. For Imperial Brands, one of the world’s major tobacco companies, THR represents a consumer-focused commitment to helping individuals switch to less harmful forms of tobacco. It's a strategy that balances both head and heart, reflecting a thoughtful approach to the future of safer nicotine products.

Featuring:
Joe Thompson
Group Science & Regulatory Affairs Director, Imperial Brands
imperialbrandsplc.com

Welcome to our panel discussion on the global regulatory landscape for tobacco harm reduction and novel nicotine products. Hosted by Barnaby Page from Tamarind Intelligence, publisher of E-cig Intelligence and Tobacco Intelligence, the panel features experts from around the world including Peter Beckett from the UK, Lindsey Stroud from the USA, Michael Landl from Austria, and David Yu from China.

In this session, we dive into the current state of tobacco harm reduction, discuss novel nicotine products, and explore the regulatory environments across different regions.

Topics covered include:

- Overview of global tobacco harm reduction strategies

- Regulatory challenges and opportunities in different countries

- Perspectives on novel nicotine products

- Future trends and predictions for tobacco harm reduction

GFN 2024 Workshop - hosted by Barnaby Page with panellists: Michael Landl, Peter Beckett, Lindsey Stroud and David Yu

We delve into the key insights and discussions from the Global Forum on Nicotine (GFN). Our expert speakers share their experiences and reflections on the evolution of tobacco harm reduction, exploring the intersection of science, economics, and politics. Learn about the challenges faced, the progress made, and the future of tobacco harm reduction in public health. Featuring Clive Bates, Gerry Stimson, Stefan Mathisson and Analucia Saraiva.

Scientific data are critical to our understanding of the harm reduction potential of novel tobacco and nicotine products. Such data can be used in shaping evidence-based regulation and to inform consumers of the relative risks of tobacco product use. Increasingly, there are calls to preclude data generated by manufacturers in informing policy, as this data is seen by some as not ‘independent’ and biased by commercial goals.

This panel session will explore:
- What does independent mean when it comes to tobacco harm reduction science?
- Why might manufacturers’ data not be acceptable?
- Are manufacturers’ data on nicotine products any different from pharmaceutical industry data on novel drugs?
- Does not being independent mean that we should not trust the data? Should we ignore it? Or just acknowledge it and move on without looking at it?
- What are the dangers of ignoring evidence seen as ‘dependent’ and what does that mean for THR? Are there unintended consequences?
- How do we move forward from here? How do we make sure both dependent and independent evidence is used to inform consumers and to help shape regulation?

GFN 2024 Workshop - hosted by Ian Fearon with panellists: Marewa Glover, Sarah Cooney, George Hardie and Colin Mendelsohn

Tragically, those who should know better—medical doctors, public health officials, and the media—are reluctant to promote nicotine vaping as a tool for harm reduction. Instead, they make a deliberate choice to ignore or avoid acknowledging the truth about vaping. This problem is widespread, including in Latin America. Learn more in this special hybrid English/Spanish episode of GFN Interviews.

Featuring:
DR. DIEGO VERRASTRO
Physician, General and Emergency Surgery
Co-founder, Latin American Network for THR, RELDAT.org

JEFFREY ZAMORA
President, Asovape Costa Rica & of ARDT Iberoamerica
Director of Social Media, INNCO
@jeffzam8

Join host Sarah Cooney, an independent science engagement consultant, as she engages in an in-depth discussion with Dr. Andrea Constantini, a regional science engagement manager at Philip Morris International, and Samrat Chowdhury, a consumer advocate from India.

In this video, we explore:
- Dr. Andrea Constantini's journey from a medical doctor to working in tobacco harm reduction at Philip Morris International
- Samrat Chowdhury's personal story of losing his father to smoking and his subsequent advocacy for safer alternatives
- The challenges and barriers to tobacco harm reduction in low- and middle-income countries
- The role of misinformation and the need for transparent, high-quality research
- The importance of collaboration between industry, regulators, and consumers to drive meaningful change

An examination of the nature of the THR debate, including different factions' objectives and the tactics being used, such as misinformation, emotive appeals and personal attacks. Panellists will share their own experiences, discuss why the debate is being conducted as it is, and ask how we should best operate in a challenging and often hostile environment.

GFN 2024 Panel Discussion #4 - hosted by Will Godfrey with panellists: Marewa Glover, Rohan Sequeira, Maria Papaioannoy-Duic, Christopher Snowdon

Join host Rebecca Taylor, a health policy specialist and former member of the European Parliament, as she leads an insightful discussion on the recent European election results and their implications for tobacco harm reduction, featuring:
- Michael Landl - Director of the World Vapers Alliance from Austria;
- Konstantinos Farsalinos - Physician and public health researcher from Greece;
- Fernando Fernandez Bueno - Oncology surgeon and tobacco harm reduction advocate from Spain.