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. 2014 Dec 9;11(12):e1001767.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001767. eCollection 2014 Dec.

Alcohol harm reduction: corporate capture of a key concept

Jim McCambridge  1 , Kypros Kypri  2 , Colin Drummond  3 , John Strang  3
Affiliations

Alcohol harm reduction: corporate capture of a key concept

Jim McCambridge et al. PLoS Med. .

Abstract

Jim McCambridge and colleagues reflect on how the concept of harm reduction may be being usurped by the alcohol industry. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no competing interests to declare for JMC, KK, and CD. JS leads the Addictions academic activity of the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, which includes conduct of diverse research studies and provision of educational activity in the Addictions. JS is also in a leadership position for the Addictions clinical activity of the South London & Maudsley (SLaM) NHS Foundation Trust, which provides treatments in the drug, alcohol, and smoking cessation fields. JS has received project grant support and/or honoraria and/or consultancy payments from Department of Health, NTA (National Treatment Agency), PHE (Public Health England), Home Office, and NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence). JS has worked with WHO (World Health Organisation) and with UNODC (United Nations Office for Drug Control) and other international government agencies. Has also received research grant support and/or payment in the form of honoraria, consultancy payments, and/or traveling and/or accommodation and/or conference expenses from pharmaceutical companies who produce, or have been considering producing, new medicines for use in the addiction treatment field, including (past 3 years): Genus (Britannia), Viropharma (Auralis), Martindale (Catalent), Reckitt-Benckiser, Schering-Plough, Lundbeck, UCB, Napp, MundiPharma, Alkermes, Teva, and also discussions with Lightlake, Lanacher, Fidelity International, and Rusan/iGen. JS works closely with the charity Action on Addiction, and also with the J Paul Getty Charitable Trust (JPGT) and the Pilgrim Trust, and has received grant support from them. JS has previous close links with charitable-funded providers, including Lifeline (Manchester), Phoenix House, KCA UK (Kent Council on Addictions), and Clouds (Action on Addiction). JS works (or has recently worked) with various drug policy organisations and advisory bodies including the UK Drug Policy Commission (UKDPC), the Society for the Study of Addiction (SSA), and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA).

References

    1. Prime Minister's Strategy Unit (2004) Alcohol harm reduction strategy for England. London: Prime Minister's Strategy Unit.
    1. Room R (2004) Disabling the public interest: alcohol strategies and policies for England. Addiction 99: 1083–1089. - PubMed
    1. Drummond DC (2004) An alcohol strategy for England: the good, the bad and the ugly. Alcohol Alcohol 39: 377–379. - PubMed
    1. Marmot MG (2004) Evidence based policy or policy based evidence? BMJ 328: 906–907. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Alcohol Concern (2014) Statistics on alcohol. Available: http://www.alcoholconcern.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Summary-of-a.... Accessed 12 November 2014.

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