EU health chief repeats false claims on nicotine products despite scientific backlash

BRUSSELS – Europe’s Health Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi has doubled-down in his misinformation campaign against smoke-free nicotine products in the face of fierce criticism from leading international scientists.

Despite being publicly challenged over what experts described as “false and misleading” claims and “anti-vax levels of science denial”, Várhelyi last week repeated his assertion that vapes and nicotine pouches “are capable of creating the same health risks as traditional products”.

The comments were made during a hearing before the European Parliament’s Committee on Public Health on May 6, when Swedish MEP Jessica Polfjärd asked how the European Commission intended to learn from Sweden’s success in reducing smoking rates.

Sweden is on the verge of becoming the world’s first officially smoke-free country, thanks to its acceptance of safer nicotine alternatives, including snus and nicotine pouches.

In March, 23 leading European scientists wrote an open letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warning that claims equating smoke-free nicotine products with cigarettes “contradict the scientific evidence and risk distorting major European public health policies”.

The signatories included internationally recognised researchers from institutions such as Imperial College London, Queen Mary University of London, the University of Geneva and KU Leuven, alongside prominent experts including David Nutt, Peter Hajek and Jean‑François Etter.

The scientists cited evidence from authorities including the Royal College of Physicians, Germany’s Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, France’s National Cancer Institute and the US Food and Drug Administration, all of which have concluded that smoke-free nicotine products expose users to far fewer toxic chemicals than combustible cigarettes.

Dr Delon Human, leader of Smoke Free Sweden and former secretary-general of the World Medical Association, said: “When a senior public official claims smoke-free nicotine products are as harmful as cigarettes, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, he risks misleading millions of smokers and undermining life-saving public health strategies.

“To reduce the deadly toll of tobacco, the EU needs policies built on scientific evidence and real-world outcomes. Millions of European smokers deserve accurate information about the relative risks of nicotine products and access to alternatives that can help them leave cigarettes behind.”

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