Why addressing conflicts of interest is essential to progress in reducing commercially driven health harms: Lessons from tobacco

Anna Gilmore; Rachel Barry; Alice Fabbri

doi:10.1016/j.fhj.2025.100268

Why addressing conflicts of interest is essential to progress in reducing commercially driven health harms: Lessons from tobacco

Anna Gilmore
, Rachel Barry
, Alice Fabbri

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Globally and in the UK, significant progress has been made in tackling the harms of tobacco use. This was enabled by addressing the fundamental conflict between the tobacco industry’s interests and those of the public, including by rejecting partnerships with the tobacco industry. Conflicts of interest (COIs), like those identified in tobacco control, exist in other areas of public health, yet governments, including the UK, continue to work in partnership with other health-harming industries, including alcohol, ultra-processed food and gambling, despite evidence that partnership approaches where COIs exist are ineffective. This article details lessons that can be drawn from this experience, outlining how understanding and addressing COIs in policy, professional practice and science are prerequisites to tackling commercially driven harms.

Original language	English
Article number	100268
Journal	Future Healthcare Journal
Volume	12
Issue number	2
Early online date	30 Jun 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fhj.2025.100268
Publication status	Published - 1 Jul 2025

Funding

This article received no external financial or non-financial support. ABG is supported by ‘Local Health and Global Profits’ (Grant no MR/Y030753/1), which is part of Population Health Improvement UK (PHI UK), a national research network which works to transform health and reduce inequalities through change at the population level. The funder had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis and interpretation of the data; preparation, review or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

Access to Document

10.1016/j.fhj.2025.100268Licence: CC BY

Health Hub: Systems Approaches to Commercial Determinants of Health and Equity
Gilmore, A. (PI), Fichera, E. (CoI), Gillison, F. (CoI), Griffin, T. (CoI), Hunt, A. (CoI), Pearce, N. (CoI), Rutter, H. (CoI), Bates, G. (Researcher CoI), Serna Castano, A. (Researcher CoI) & Van Den Akker, A. (Researcher CoI)
MRC
1/04/24 → 31/03/28
Project: Research council

Cite this

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abstract = "Globally and in the UK, significant progress has been made in tackling the harms of tobacco use. This was enabled by addressing the fundamental conflict between the tobacco industry{\textquoteright}s interests and those of the public, including by rejecting partnerships with the tobacco industry. Conflicts of interest (COIs), like those identified in tobacco control, exist in other areas of public health, yet governments, including the UK, continue to work in partnership with other health-harming industries, including alcohol, ultra-processed food and gambling, despite evidence that partnership approaches where COIs exist are ineffective. This article details lessons that can be drawn from this experience, outlining how understanding and addressing COIs in policy, professional practice and science are prerequisites to tackling commercially driven harms.",

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Why addressing conflicts of interest is essential to progress in reducing commercially driven health harms: Lessons from tobacco

Abstract

Funding

UN SDGs

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Health Hub: Systems Approaches to Commercial Determinants of Health and Equity

Cite this