Abstract
Building Research Capacity in Global Tobacco Product Regulation Program (U18)
Tobacco kills over 8 million people globally every year and eventually kills half of its users, the majority of
whom are recruited as children. 480,000 of those deaths are attributable to cigarette smoking in the United
States, including more than 41,000 deaths resulting from second-hand smoke exposure. The devastating effects
of tobacco products also affects generations due to the debilitating diseases associated with tobacco use
including cancer, heart, and respiratory illnesses. Further, the negative consequences of tobacco use are
compounded by the strategies employed by tobacco and related manufacturers, who carefully engineer their
products to sustain use. In recent times, the introduction of electronic cigarettes to many markets globally has
further complicated tobacco control. The paucity of reliable data on these products to support policy making is
also a challenge. Therefore, regulating the manufacture, labelling, sale, distribution, advertising and promotion
of nicotine and tobacco products has proven particularly challenging in many contexts, even for countries that
have strong regulatory measures in place to address these products, such as the United States with the Family
Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (Tobacco Control Act), (P.L. 111-31).
Through this project, WHO will use its unique history, position, networks and contacts in international tobacco
control and tobacco product regulation to support the Food and Drug Administration (the FDA) in reducing
tobacco use, harm, and addiction. WHO's experience in this area, includes managing the WHO Study Group
on Tobacco Product Regulation, the WHO Tobacco Laboratory Network, its Collaborating Centres, and the
Global Tobacco Regulators Forum (GTRF). Further, its track record of managing and coordinating the
“Building Research Capacity in Global Tobacco Product Regulation Program” since 2015, will ensure that the
requirements of the program are met. Building on lessons learned and WHO's extensive networks, this proposal
sets out several science-based activities over the next five years to advance and strengthen research to support
tobacco product regulation. These include development and coordination of multilateral research efforts in
science, law, policy, and public health communications. The project will also expand data collection and
information sharing mechanisms, management and reporting protocol. Carefully designed reporting
mechanisms will ensure that WHO monitors, evaluates program activities, tracks progress, and timely
disseminates outcomes. As the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) continues to exercise its mandate to
place restrictions on the sale and distribution of tobacco products, implement tobacco product standards, review
applications for new tobacco products, and consider applications for modified risk products, the information
from this project, including from countries, will enable the US to consider global regulatory and marketing
trends on nicotine and tobacco products. Further, the project will advance global knowledge on product
regulation thereby supporting effective regulation of nicotine and tobacco products in WHO Member States.