My Swedish is a little rusty, but this is close.
Main page / News 2014-06-11
Want to get the U.S. putting out - with Swedish snus
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Swedish snus to get Americans to quit smoking.
The hope of snuff, Swedish Match now submitted a 100,000-page application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration FDA.
- America's scientific authority dares to ask the right questions about Swedish snus, instead of, as the EU, the effort to remain ignorant and spreading myths, says communications Hildingsson.
Swedish Match has filed a 100,000-page application with over 800 scientific reference articles to the FDA, U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The hope of the Swedish snuff is snus should be classified as a "modified risk product", ie a product with reduced detrimental effects.
- Then we get the opportunity to communicate to the public to snuff in a reduced risk, says Professor Lars-Erik Rutqvist, Scientific Director at Swedish Match, with a background as a medical oncologist and chairman of Karolinska Institute's Research Ethics Committee.
Large potential market
In the United States smokes today according to the American Cancer Society near one in five adults, around 42 million inhabitants, and the potential market for alternatives is large.
In order to obtain this classification, the manufacturer must prove that the product means lower risks compared with smoking for the individual user, and also that it is beneficial to public health in the United States.
Rutqvist take up to 30 years of research shows that Sweden has the West's lowest figures for tobacco-related mortality for Swedish men extensively use snus.
Professor Hans Gilljam at Karolinska Institute have difficult to comment on how he makes himself available to the possible classification.
- It is not in a physician's role to advocate toxic products. It's not a vitamin. There are risks associated with snus, but certainly they are far less than the neck puff, clearly, he says.
Controversial risks
Gilljam takes up to snuff according to the World Health Organization are expected to double the risk of pancreatic cancer, increased risk of type 2 diabetes and increased mortality from stroke and heart attack.
But Rutqvist state that there are only a few studies that suggest that this is the case.
- But there are other studies that show this, and upon a comprehensive analysis of all the studies is no convincing evidence for any connection. However, there are established and clear connection between smoking and they mentioned health outcomes. This is something that the FDA will analyze carefully when assessing our application.
The FDA now has a year to go through the application. Lars-Erik Rutqvist is optimistic.
- We have a very heavy and convincing scientific evidence in our application, and I have great confidence that the FDA will share our many international tobacco judgment of scientists.
"The United States distinct from the European Union"
Rutqvist also serves as business representative for tobacco products in an advisory committee to the FDA.
- Yes, it is a conflict of interest, I'm employed by the company that comes with the application. But it is completely open and declared, and I have no vote in the Committee.
Hildingsson, Communications Manager at Swedish Match, says it is calculated what classification would mean business.
- In the first stage, it is not something we counted on the commercial, it is not possible to predict. But that would mean that the world's largest and leading consumer care authority has scrutinized everything there is to know about our Swedish snus, and it is clear that it means something to the consumer, and then it is of course something for us too.
- The EU has not been ready to embrace the evidence-based science available on snus. It is completely different from the FDA on the contrary show an active interest.