Statement: Philip Morris International Annual Shareholders' Meeting, Kyra Harris

Last month, Philip Morris USA requested that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) remove four members from its Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee because of so-called “conflicts of interest” and stated that these “appointees have pronounced and disqualifying conflicts and biases arising from their active and zealous participation as paid expert witnesses for plaintiffs in lawsuits.”

By this logic all agents of the tobacco industry should be excluded from the Committee as well.

The international community, under the global tobacco treaty, has provided the following guidance when it comes to genuine conflicts of interest and health policymaking: “the tobacco industry should not be a partner in any initiative linked to setting or implementing public health policies, given that its interests are in direct conflict with the goals of public health.”

While the U.S. has yet to ratify the treaty, it seems as though your US-based counterpart, Philip Morris USA, is trying to have its cake and eat it, too.

The tobacco industry is trying to determine the make-up of a Committee that international law dictates it should have no influence over. The FDA was right to reject the complaint. The FDA should now act to remove the three compensated employees of the tobacco industry who serve on the Committee as this clearly represents a fundamental conflict of interest with public health policy.

So, Mr. Camilleri, will you agree, in contrast to your US-based counterpart, that the tobacco industry should comply with international law in the US and around the world, and not be represented on advisory and other governmental bodies?