Tobacco Asia

36 tobaccoasia Issue 4, 2025 July / August The agency advocated for further validation through longitudinal, epidemio- logical studies before endorsing any harm reduction claims unequivocally. 4 University of Catania, Italy: A Focus on COPD Patients One of the most compelling studies comes from the University of Catania in Italy, where a longitudinal study tracked chronically obstructed pulmonary dis- ease (COPD) patients over three years. The research focused on individuals who had fully or partially switched from cigarettes to HTP. COPD, together with lung emphysema, is among the most commonly seen diseases to develop in decades-long smokers of combustible tobacco smokers. Clinical improvements and quality of life Among those patients who transitioned to exclusive HTP use, annual COPD exacerbations dropped from 2.1 to 1.3, while respiratory symptoms, mea- sured via the COPD Assessment Test (CAT), showed consistent improve- ment. Participants also demonstrated marked progress in their six-minute walk distance, an indicator of overall physical resilience. Cessation and harm reduction By the study's end, 57.9% of participants had stopped smoking cigarettes altogether. Even dual users – meaning those who continued smoking along- side HTP – reduced their cigarette consumption by over 70%. These outcomes suggested to the researchers that HTP may serve as effective harm- reduction tools for high-risk populations. Independence and potential conflicts Though largely independent, the study's principal investigator, Dr. Riccardo Polosa, post-study has acknowledged some affiliations with harm reduc- tion advocacy organizations, drawing occasional criticism. Nonetheless, the study's peer-reviewed methodology and robust clinical outcomes offer valuable insights. Conclusion: the need for a balanced perspective While the tobacco industry remains a polarizing force in global health policy, it's increasingly clear that dismissing all research linked to harm reduc- tion out of hand may hinder public health prog- ress. Independent evaluations of HTP conducted by government agencies, academic institutions and public health bodies generally align in showing that these products significantly lower exposure to harmful substances compared to conventional cigarettes. Although none of these independent studies outline in this article suggest that HTP are com- pletely safe or suitable for non-smokers, they do acknowledge that, for current smokers who are unable or unwilling to quit, switching entirely to HTP may reduce the health burden associated with smoking. The path forward lies not in vilify- ing harm-reduction tools, but in rigorously scru- tinizing them independently, transparently, and continuously. It also might be good advice for anti-tobacco lobbies to adopt a policy to not routinely reject industry-funded research as "biased" or untrust- worthy. Large tobacco companies, particularly the multinationals cannot afford – for a multitude of legal and ethical reasons – to deliberately falsify research outcomes or conduct studies with the desired result already in mind. Instead, industry- funded research should be embraced as an honest effort by the tobacco sector to offer transparency regarding its products. Citations: 1 McNeill A, Brose LS, Calder R, Bauld L & Robson D; "Evidence Review of e-Cigarettes and Heated Tobacco Products"; published in February 2018 as a report commissioned by Public Health England. London, United Kingdom 2 "Statement on the Toxicological Evaluation of Novel Heat-Not-Burn Tobacco Products "; Committees on Toxicity, Carcinogenicity and Mutagenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT, COC and COM); United Kingdom; December 2017 3 Nadja Mallock, Elke Pieper, Christoph Hutzler, Frank Henkler-Stephani and Andreas Luch; "Heated Tobacco Products: A Review of Current Knowledge and Initial Assessments Risk: Assessment of Heated Tobacco Products"; Department of Chemical and Product Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Berlin, Germany; 2018/2019 4 Riccardo Polosa, Jaymin B. Morjaria, Umberto Prosperini, Barbara Busà, Alfio Pennisi, Gualberto Gussoni, Sonja Rust, Marilena Maglia, Pasquale Caponnetto; "Health Outcomes in COPD Smokers Using Heated Tobacco Products: A 3-Year Follow-Up"; Dept. of Internal and Emergency Medicine, University of Catania, Italy; 2021 Large tobacco companies cannot afford to deliberately falsify research outcomes. Image generated by Microsoft Copilot.

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