//Imperial Brands Science @ CORESTA Congress 2024

Group Science & Regulatory Affairs Director Joe Thompson reflects on CORESTA’s latest engaging, energising Congress.

Imperial Brands scientists travelled to Edinburgh last week to attend the bi-annual CORESTA Congress.

CORESTA, for those who aren’t aware, was founded more than a half century ago in 1956.

It exists to promote the vital importance of international industry collaboration – and, increasingly, external collaboration with public health and regulators – focusing on scientific research around combustible tobacco and next generation products (NGP).

You can explore our broad range of posters and presentations at the end of this blog.

As Imperial Brands’ Group Science & Regulatory Affairs Director and outgoing CORESTA President, I’m delighted with the growing impact both organisations are having on the wider tobacco harm reduction (THR) debate.

At this latest Congress, Imperial Brands scientists engaged around our extensive range of posters and presentations with, among others, representatives from the Public Health community and Regulatory Authorities.

I’m proud that several Imperial employees were also recognised for their contribution to CORESTA during the event, rewarding engagement in its governance bodies, working groups as coordinators and/or secretaries, as well as contributions to science through the Congress and Conference programs.

Medals were awarded for CORESTA contributions.

Encouragingly, this autumn’s event added to my personal belief that there’s growing recognition among all parties of the two core ‘non-negotiables’ when it comes to advancing the cause of THR.

These are:

• An increasing demand for, and appetite for, credible peer-reviewed science. Why? Because data are factual, and aren’t dependent upon human emotion, bias, or ideology.
• More effective and aligned collaboration between industry and public health bodies and regulators. Why? To understand precisely what scientific evidence they are seeking to shape more impactful legislation; for instance, the need for real-world studies and clinical biomarkers predictive of disease outcome.

Finally, and perhaps most crucially of all, there’s increasing consensus that regulators, NGOs and industry need to come together and demonstrate collective leadership on behalf of the world’s billion-plus adult smokers.

As I’ve said before, to engender genuine change, harm reduction academics/scientists and industry must break free from their respective echo chambers to better engage with public health, regulatory bodies and consumers.

They, in turn, must put aside their scepticism and embrace the science – including industry data – with an open mind.

Then, and only then, can THR begin to fulfil its potential on a global scale.

The conversations had, and bonds formed, at the 2024 CORESTA Congress continue to convince me that said potential is increasingly on its way to becoming an exciting reality.

The Imperial Brands Science team.

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