UK rows back on plain packaging

In March it published a report called “Healthy Lives, Healthy People: A Tobacco Control Plan for England” in whichit pledged toexplore options to reduce the promotional impact of tobacco packaging, including publishing a consultation paper before the end of the year.

Last month, however, it appeared to try and lower the expectations of health campaigners when it issued a statement saying that before it publishes the consultation it must ensure that it has specialist legal advice on the trade, competition, EU single market and IP implications.

Now the Secretary of State for Health has admitted that the consultation will be postponed until the first quarter of 2012. In a ministerial statementon Thursday, Andrew Lansley said that the Department of Health has commissioned an independent academic review of the existing evidence relevant to the effects of tobacco packaging. This systematic evidence review will be peer reviewed and made available alongside the consultation, he added.

“We need to understand whether there is evidence to demonstrate that the plain packaging of tobacco products would have an additional health benefit, over and above existing tobacco control initiatives.”

The government’s decision comes a month after Australia passed a law introducing plain packaging, a move that prompted tobacco companies to pledge to fight the new legislation and demand millions of dollars in compensation for trade mark rights they believe they will lose.