The Big Tobacco takeover of inhaler technology company Vectura requires a boycott but not at the expense of patients currently using inhalers based on the company’s input, the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand says.
A statement issued on behalf of the TSANZ Board and published in Respirology says that the company now owned by Philip Morris International should face sanctions from health professionals, researchers, research organisations and respiratory societies.
Such arrangements will likely including avoidance of collaborations, commercial contracts and restrictions on publications and involvement in medical and scientific conferences.
But the boycott should not extend to a blanket ban on the use of inhalers that were developed by Vectura prior to the takeover, the society recommends.
The TSANZ notes that some of these treatments have been licensed to pharmaceutical companies and prescribed by physicians for patients with airway diseases for many years, and it may be difficult or impossible for patients to switch to alternatives
“Given that these arrangements were made in good faith before there was any hint of a link to Big Tobacco, we as a society see little value in pursuing sanctions against these pharmaceutical companies and researchers,” its statement says.
Patient welfare should be at the centre of decisions about inhaler prescribing, and changes should only be made based on informed consent from patients, it advises.
While health professionals and patients may seek alternative inhaler delivery devices, due to reluctance to use devices linked to Big Tobacco, switching from one inhaler to another may come with consequences, including poor clinical outcomes, it cautions.