17 September 2024
The Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR) based in University of Catania, Italy, has just signed a letter of intent (LOI) to set- up a branch at Universitas Padjadjaran (Unpad) in Indonesia. The branch reportedly will focus on research, outreach, and education on “smoking harm reduction” in the Asia-Pacific region. Unpad’s Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation signed on behalf of the University. However nowhere in the publicity is revealed who is funding this initiative – Philip Morris International (PMI).
The founder of CoEHAR, Prof Riccardo Polosa, who signed the LOI, has significant links with the tobacco industry. In 2018 he set up CoEHAR with funds from PMI-funded Foundation for a Smoke-Free World (FSFW). PMI’s funding is sanitised as it passes through several entities (see flow below). According to Global Action, seven grants were given to CoEHAR via ECLAT-SRL.
TobaccoTactics recorded that between 2018 and 2023, CoEHAR, received a total of US$16,283,917 from FSFW (now known as Global Action to End Smoking) through ECLAT SRL which is a spin-off of the University of Catania. Although Global Action reported in May 2023 it was cutting ties with PMI, it is still exclusively funded by PMI and received US$140 million as final payment which funds its current activities and new grants. It functions like a front group for the tobacco industry.
Follow the money
Representatives of the Italian government in Indonesia, who attended the Unpad LOI signing, included the Scientific Attaché of the Italian Embassy in Indonesia, Roberto Carniel, who may have been unaware that CoEHAR is funded by PMI. In endorsing the activity, Italy’s officials seem oblivious they have contravened the FCTC/COP6(14)32 decision adopted by Parties to the WHO FCTC in 2014: “to raise awareness and adopt measures to implement Article 5.3 and its implementing Guidelines among all parts of government including diplomatic missions.”
CoEHAR’s activities have spread to Asia. These past few year, it lobbied several countries with messages that align with PMI’s narrative promoting harm reduction through alternate tobacco products such as heated tobacco products and e-cigarettes.
In August 2022, when Malaysia was debating the omnibus tobacco control legislation which was considering a ban on e-cigarettes, CoEHAR sent a letter to the Prime Minister urging the government “not to prohibit smoke free nicotine-based alternatives to combustible cigarettes”. CoEHAR had sent a similar letter to the Ministry of Health, Bangladesh in July. When the Philippines passed the retrogressive bill approving e-cigarettes, which allowed online sales and promotion of e-cigarettes and lowered purchase age from 21 years to 18 years, CoEHAR researchers sent a letter to the President of the Philippines supporting the new bill.
Prof Dr Amaliya and Asso Prof Dr Ronny Lesmana of Unpad are key partners in this joint initiative with CoEHAR. In 2018, at the 2nd Asia Harm Reduction Forum in Manilla, Prof Amaliya, representing the Indonesia Public Health Observation Foundation, promoted alternative smoking devices as being “95 per cent less harmful than combustible cigarettes” despite this claim having been debunked in the Lancet, and instead quoted PMI’s line that, “The quit or die approach does not work.”
In 2020, Prof Amaliya was a speaker in the 4th Scientific Summit of SCOHRE that has industry links, and in 2023, the Professor attended the nicotine industry sponsored event, the Global Nicotine Forum.
Five countries in the ASEAN region – Brunei, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Singapore and Thailand – have banned e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products but have come under pressure from the industry or front groups to revoke the ban. Globallymore than 40 countries have banned these products.
In Indonesia, e-cigarette use among youth has increased dramatically with more adolescents (13-15 years) now vaping than smoking. These products are promoted and sold mainly online and available in thousands of flavors, and designed to attract youths. For more information see here, here and here.
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