Tobacco Company Reynolds In Talks To Buy Company For Quitters (a stop smoking company)

[onehandle]

Source: Huffington Post

RICHMOND, Va. — Reynolds American Inc., maker of Camel cigarettes and Grizzly smokeless tobacco, is in talks to buy a Swedish company that helps people stop smoking, a tobacco expert who said he was briefed by people close to the talks told The Associated Press Monday.

The second-largest U.S. tobacco company is eyeing Niconovum AB, which sells cigarette replacement products in gum, pouch and spray form outside the U.S., according to David Sweanor, a Canadian law professor and tobacco expert. The deal, which could be worth $44.5 million, could be imminent, he said.

Sweanor said Reynolds' interest in Niconovum may be focused on offering smoking alternatives rather than products meant to help people stop using nicotine and tobacco.

"The market's coming to understand that nicotine products exist on a very broad continuum of risk, and cigarettes are at the far risky end of that, and it's possible to have far less hazardous products that would probably meet the needs for a very significant number of smokers," Sweanor said.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/09/tobacco-company-reynolds-_n_351608.html

[Common Sense Party]

1. Not surprising. Most of the payday loan places are owned by

the credit card companies and banks. They want to get every last penny out of the people they hose.

[kayakjohnny]

2. And in a somewhat related story, Trojan Inc. will now offer the morning after pill.

[Sebastian Doyle]

3. That's almost as dumb as insurance companies running a "public option".

[Bonobo]

4. And diet food companies own ice cream plants. What else is new? nt

[tridim]

5. Nicotine replacement therapy is criminially expensive and equally addictive

Now they can make bank on the "cure" too! $$$!

[bjb]

6. Nicotine replacement

therapy should be free to any smoker that needs it. The millions of dollars from the tobacco settlements plus the taxes the smokers pay yet no free lunch for the people who are raking in millions for the states.

[tridim]

7. Free or cheap.

Right now, it's unaffordable for me (and I assume others). So I'm back to smoking. :(

I'd like it to be available wholesale, which is probably pennies a dose. Maybe cap it at half the cost of of cigarettes?

[Auggie]

8. Can't they generate enough revenue selling cigarettes in Asia?

Talk about greedy :eyes:

[jfkraus]

9. Tobacco is a weapon of mass destruction

More people die each year from tobacco related illness than any war since WWII.

[timo]

10. nicotine replacement is free

its called quitting cold turkey, cost = ZERO, I know its tough I did it and if a weak minded monkey like myself can do it anybody can, 3 years now!!

[defendandprotect]

11. Co-option a major tool in the corporate tool box . . .

[zonkers]

12. This is insidious.

[Lucky Luciano]

13. sure...buy the company and discontinue operations. Clever plan I am sure.

The stuff must really work and be a threat to their business!!

[Zoeisright]

14. And are they going to increase nicotine content in their 'product' to promote their

stop smoking company? They've done it before.

[tomm2thumbs]

15. sounds like wrapping your heart medication with bacon

it is so much more effective I hear

[Chemical Bill]

16. Like GM buying mass transit companies years ago. n/t