Agencies: tobacco funds tar research

National research bodies have repudiated a foundation solely funded by one of the world’s biggest tobacco companies that has commissioned dozens of academic papers on vapes and e-cigarettes.

Anti-tobacco campaigners said the Foundation for a Smoke Free World was a way for the research body’s benefactor Philip Morris to remain behind the scenes.

National research bodies have repudiated a foundation solely funded by one of the world’s biggest tobacco companies that has commissioned dozens of academic papers on vapes and e-cigarettes.

Anti-tobacco campaigners said the Foundation for a Smoke Free World was a way for the research body’s benefactor Philip Morris, the maker of Marlboro and Peter Jackson cigarettes, to remain behind the scenes after The Australian exposed how foundation-commissioned research had been published in legitimate academic journals.

A spokesman for the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation said the government agency would not accept research from the foundation.

“CSIRO does not conduct research for, or accept funding from, tobacco companies or foundations sponsored by them,” he said. “Our functions are set out through the Science and Industry Research Act 1949 and in accordance with the Act our role is to undertake research that benefits Australia.”

A spokesman for the Australian Research Council said the foundation was not associated with any of its funding, which the body awards across all disciplines except medical research.

“The Australian community expects research to be conducted responsibly, ethically and with integrity and the Australian Research Council plays a vital leadership role in maintaining and promoting the responsible conduct of research,” he said.

A National Health and Medical Research Council spokeswoman said an analysis of e-cigarette research was conducted in preparation for the chief executive’s statement to assess possible conflicts of interest and check whether it had been commissioned by a body with a financial interest.

“Where authors or studies declared funding from the tobacco or e-cigarette industry, the risk of bias was noted in the assessment for grading the quality of evidence,” she said.

“Additional analyses were conducted to see if studies with declared conflicts of interest had different results to other studies.”

NHRMC chief executive Anne Kelso’s statement on vapes said e-cigarettes could be harmful and there were other proven safe methods to help smokers quit.

The foundation has commissioned more than 70 academic papers on topics ­including e-cigarettes, heated ­tobacco products and rates of smoking cessation since it launched in 2017 with an annual funding pledge of $80m.

Anti-tobacco campaigner and University of Sydney emeritus professor Simon Chapman said the foundation was an example of companies and organisations providing money to third parties to remain behind the scenes.

“Most people would hear the Foundation for a Smoke Free World and have no idea it was fully funded by Philip Morris,” he said. “A company that says it’s trying to get everybody off cigarettes but still operates cigarette factories around the world and they’re still advertising cigarettes in places where they can do it.”

Anti-tobacco campaigner Dr Bronwyn King said the foundation was widely considered to be a front for Philip Morris.

A spokeswoman for the foundation said the research body’s independence was established in organisational documents including bylaws.

A spokesman for Philip Morris said the tobacco company was precluded by the foundation’s statute from having any influence over funding or its activities.