When Moira Gilchrist was first approached by Philip Morris International, she wondered what a tobacco company wanted from a scientist who had previously worked on clinical trials for anticancer drugs.
The smoke-free revolution is also one of necessity: cigarette sales in the developed world have been declining, and government regulation is getting tougher. The US is considering a total ban on menthol cigarettes, while Brookline, a suburb of Boston, is going to prohibit tobacco sales to anyone born this century.
Cancer Research UK said of the Vectura news that if Philip Morris really wanted to help, “they could stop aggressively promoting and selling their products altogether”. The Vectura and Fertin acquisitions hand the company major entry points for beyond-nicotine offerings. That includes expertise in oral and respiratory drug deliveries to speed up expansion in the wellness sector, with products such as botanicals that boost energy or aid sleep, as well as devices with potential medical use.
Along with product development comes the campaigning and lobbying, areas where Big Tobacco has a troubled history that keeps alive suspicion about the industry.