The Foundation has received a pledge of $80 million USD annually for 12 years, beginning in 2018 from Philip Morris International (PMI). The Foundation is seeking and expects to receive funding from other sources as well.
We fully recognize the challenges associated with accepting any funding from the tobacco industry. We also acknowledge the sad irony that we exist to solve a global public health crisis that companies like PMI helped to create and then tried to cover up. Our founder, Dr. Yach, and others on staff have spent years fighting the tobacco industry and working to end smoking.
We would have much preferred to have a diverse set of other funders in place with no industry funds from the start. But, it would have taken years to build a base. Additionally, given the urgency of the problem – 1.1 billion smokers, 7 million dying each year, and a trajectory toward a billion deaths this century – we chose the path that gave us the best chance to move quickly and accepted the funding. But we did so only with extremely rigid protections against any involvement from PMI or anyone else from the industry in our ongoing activities or operations..
Under the Foundation’s bylaws and pledge agreement, PMI and the tobacco industry are precluded from having any influence over how the Foundation spends its funds or focuses its activities. Independence and transparency are core principles of the Foundation, and we have set ourselves up from the beginning to operate in alignment with the most rigid principles available to avoid conflicts of interest.
The Foundation has, constituted in its bylaws, an independent research agenda, independent governance, and protection against conflict of interest. We request that grant recipients submit papers for peer review and, wherever possible, make their data and findings available to other researchers for review and consideration.
The Tobacco Transformation Index will provide evidence on the steps #tobacco companies are taking toward achieving a world free of combustible cigarettes. Read more about the Index in @tobaccoreporter’s recent article: https://bit.ly/3aI7dOe
Candida Nakhumwa speaks to Derek Yach (@swimdaily) in the second episode of the “Global Health Perspectives Podcast.” They discuss the impact of #COVID19 on Malawian smallholder farmers. After the recording, #Malawi announced 3 confirmed cases of COVID19. https://bit.ly/2ywK7My
In the wake of the #COVID19 pandemic, Derek Yach (@swimdaily) advocates for public health policies that prioritize the well-being of parents and grandparents, particularly those over the age of 50. Learn more in his new blog post: https://bit.ly/2QYpNdp
In @SmokeFreeFdn's first episode of the Global Health Perspectives with Dr. Derek Yach podcast, @RiccardoPolosa speaks to Dr. Yach about his experience with the #COVID19 pandemic in Italy. Listen here: https://bit.ly/2w4qx9s
Experts suggest smoking & dietary behaviors that differ by gender may play a role in mortality rates from respiratory diseases. Findings from countries that collected gender-based data show that men are 50% more likely to die when diagnosed with #COVID19. https://cnn.it/2QIeq98
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