In their “Conflicts of Interest” statement, Wodak and Mendelsohn note that they are board members of the Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association (ATHRA), which they describe as “a health-promotion charity,”1 although it appears to have no membership beyond its three board members.2
They refer to funding from “small Australian vape businesses” but specify neither the businesses nor the amounts.1 They do not note that ATHRA has received funding from the UK-based Knowledge Action Change (KAC) organization, in whose events they have both participated. KAC has received substantial funding from the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World (FSFW). In response to a concern we have raised about a similar lack of acknowledgment of this funding in another journal, Mendelsohn responded only that, “Knowledge Action Change is a private organisation that made a one‐off unconditional donation.”3(p423)
KAC has received very substantial funding from the FSFW, which is solely funded by Philip Morris International and has been described as “essentially operating as a front group for Philip Morris International’s (PMI) interests.”4 The FSFW has also been criticized by the World Health Organization (WHO), which has referred to “a number of clear conflicts of interest involved with a tobacco company funding a purported health foundation”5 and has advised that “WHO will not partner with the Foundation. Governments should not partner with the Foundation and the public health community should follow this lead.”5
Even a comment coauthored by Erkkila and Yach (both from the FSFW) in the same issue of AJPH notes that the FSFW receives $80 million annually from PMI.6 The FSFW’s tax return for 2018 shows more than $1 million allocated to KAC.7 The return for 2019 shows more than $7 million allocated to KAC.8 The AJPH editorial policies are clear on the importance of full declaration of conflicts of interest, noting, “If there is doubt about whether a circumstance represents a conflict, it should be disclosed.”9
We believe that Wodak and Mendelsohn should have declared a conflict of interest in relation to KAC as a tobacco industry–funded organization and that their comment should be amended to include this.
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
REFERENCES
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