By: Aikaterini (Katerina) Tsampi On 4 November 2025, in the case of Vainik and Others v. Estonia, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) issued a judgment that could have serious implications for health rights and tobacco control policies in Europe (Council of Europe Member States) – if not beyond. The ECtHR found that the […]
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2025 Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index: Tobacco Industry interference sabotage governments’ efforts globally to protect public health is aggressive and blatant
Mary Assunta & Yodhim Dela Rosa The latest Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index (the Index) has found the tobacco industry (TI) continues to be aggressive and blatant in its attempts to undermine governments’ efforts to implement tobacco control measures. Policymakers from non-health government ministries such as finance, commerce, trade and agriculture were specifically targeted and […]
Experts urge the Swiss government to join most countries of the world by ratifying the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
Swiss healthcare professionals are urging the government to ratify the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) without delay. Their concerns come at a pivotal moment: the 11th Meeting of the Parties (COP11) is taking place in Geneva in November 2025, yet Switzerland remains one of the few countries that has not ratified the treaty […]
Can COP11 Help Determine What Can Be Done Beyond the Courts to Advance Article 19?
At the Tenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), Parties initiated efforts to revive a critical but underused provision of the WHO FCTC: Article 19 on liability—based on a finding that the tobacco industry continues to escape liability and has now moved […]
When journalism turns into marketing: Philip Morris’ paid content in Swiss media during heated tobacco policy discussions
Angeliki Balantani & Kris Schürch In recent years, tobacco multinationals such as Philip Morris International (PMI) have rapidly expanded the global market for heated tobacco products (HTPs) and have intensified its promotion through paid media content that imitates independent journalism. We document the systematic use of this strategy in Switzerland, where HTP use has risen […]
“#Anywhere, Anytime:” Smartphone Vape Cases
Eric Shanazari, Reid C. Whaley, Jennifer B. Unger & Artur Galimov. Smartphones and social media dominate the lives of young adults and e-cigarettes are increasingly also part of the picture. Emerging nicotine products enable users to engage in all three behaviors through a single device. E-cigarette companies have produced products that appeal to youth, including […]
Vale Prof William (Bill) Bellew – Public health policy leader and mentor who championed chronic disease prevention and tobacco control
Rana J Singh, Nevin Wilson, Anne Jones OAM and Pranay Lal. Professor William (Bill) Bellew – Born: London, UK, 1955. Died: 30 October 2025, Sydney, Australia, aged 70. Prof Dr William (Bill) Bellew, public health expert, policy strategist, ardent advocate and generous mentor, whose work shaped prevention and health promotion across continents, died in October […]
Do almost 200 billion unique identifiers on tobacco products facilitate investigations on illicit tobacco trade?
Luk Joossens, Senior Advisor, & Erin Roman, Policy and Communications Manager. Smoke Free Partnership, Brussels, Belgium. Thirty years ago, the main type of illicit trade was large-scale cigarette smuggling: containers of cigarettes were exported, legally and duty unpaid, to countries where they had no market, and where they then disappeared into the contraband market. More traceability […]
The Return of IQOS – A Visit to Austin, Texas
Victoria Churchill, East Carolina University, USA. Vanessa Mallory, Katherine C. Henderson, Claire A. Spears, Nurul Kodriati, Terry F. Pechacek, Scott R. Weaver, Lucy Popova, Georgia State University, USA. Heated tobacco products have been gaining attention around the world, often marketed as sleek alternatives to cigarettes. In March 2025, Philip Morris International (PMI) relaunched IQOS in the […]
Report Reveals that Tobacco Control Treaty Progress is Slipping
Les Hagen, Garima Bhatt, Rakesh Gupta, Sonu Goel, Opinder Preet Kaur Gill & Tara Singh Bam Twenty years after the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) came into force, the landmark treaty has reduced global tobacco use by an estimated 118 million people. However, according to a new civil society report produced […]