Cigarette Maker Buys Quit-Smoking Company

[RamboLiberal]

Source: ABC News

Reynolds American today confirmed news that will leave many scratching their heads: The country's no. 2 tobacco company and the maker of Camel cigarettes will buy a Swedish maker of products designed to help smokers quit.

Reynolds American said it will pay $44 million for Niconovum, which makes nicotine gum and other nicotine replacement products designed to wean smokers off cigarettes. The firm was founded by Karl Olov Fagerström, who the company's Web site trumpets as "one of the world's leading experts on smoking cessation and nicotine dependence."

Purchasing the company "runs totally counter to the mission statement of (Reynolds American subsidiary) R.J. Reynolds," Gregory Connolly, a Harvard School of Public Health professor who researches tobacco products, recently told ABCNews.com. "I'm astounded."

In a statement, Reynolds American president and CEO Susan M. Ivey said the acquisition "extends the harm-reduction strategies RAI and its operating companies have been developing


Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/cigarette-maker-buys-quit-smoking-company/story?id=9229806

[The Northerner]

1. Lol

If you can't stop the people from being discouraged then buy up those willing to help discourage the people.

[Tunkamerica]

2. And it suddenly gets more expensive to quit.

[robinlynne]

3. makes perfect sense. profits baby profits.

[endless october]

4. nicotine gum is a shitty method to quit.

it's like treating heroin addiction with heroin.

didn't work for me.

Allen Carr all the way.

[Ruby the Liberal]

5. Carr worked for you?

I have that book, but haven't read it.

[The Northerner]

6. Who is Carr?

Nevermind.

[Bhaisahab]

21. From Wiki

Allen Carr (2 September 1934 – 29 November 2006) was an author of books about quitting smoking and other psychological dependencies including alcohol addiction. He quit smoking after 33 years as a hundred- a- day chain smoker<2>.

More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_Carrhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_Carr

[endless october]

7. yep. it has been more than a year now.

online friends told me about it for a year or so. finally got the book in '08. helped me not want them anymore.

i have had to reread a couple times, but i don't know if i would have stuck with it without the book.

plus the fact that you smoke while you read the book made it easier to decide to try it out.

[Ruby the Liberal]

12. I appreciate the feedback.

I'll go dig it up and give it a read.

[clspector]

9. Well, I quit 23 years ago using nicotine gum...

It was the only thing that worked for me. It isn't a shitty way to quit. It just wasn't the way that worked for you.

[endless october]

11. well, congrats on all those years smoke free.

nicotine gum for me wasn't effective. the willpower method wasn't effective for me, either.

i suppose to each his or her own. whatever works for you.

[BootinUp]

8. hilarious. nt

[Earth_First]

10. Chantix user here...

It's working amazingly well!

[JDPriestly]

13. Harm-reduction to what -- their profits?

Once they own this company, Reynolds can run it into the ground with impunity. "Well there's another smoker who will die rather than stop smoking." That is what Reynolds will say as they ruin the anti-smoking product.

[AsahinaKimi]

14. probably bought them

to put them out of business.

[Luciferous]

19. That's what I was thinking

[Alcibiades]

15. They are in the nicotine delivery business

And so are the gum makers. Makes perfect sense.

[bluesmail]

16. This is akin to arming both sides of a conflict, I really meant war

That way both sides could be winners. Ah ha, no matter which side you're on, some mega corp is going to make money. This is so insane it's actually sounding sane.

[Fly by night]

17. Now if they'd just purchase a casket company, they'd have all the bases covered.

Would you call that "horizontal integration"?

BTW, I was one of the principal consultants to Merrill-Dow Pharmaceuticals when they brought Nicorette to market in the US in the early 80s. I got to meet Dr. Fagerstrom and he came to my (last -- believe me) marriage. Very nice fellow.

[Hekate]

18. Just another way to market the drug is all. First hook 'em then sell 'em the "cure"...

... which is just more nicotine.

Unlike the Harvard professor, I'm not astounded at all.

>sigh< When did I get so old and cynical?

Hekate

[Historic NY]

20. They just want another nicotine delivery system to make money with...

I smoked for over 30yrs until one day I decided to try laser acupuncture. i don't know if it was smoke or mirrors but it will be 4 yrs w/o a Marlboro. I've tried several times but I just can't stand them anymore. Getting rid of smoking doesn't mean the tobacco companies go out of business.