Tobacco industry vs science, vCJD in the UK

The BMJ, BMJ Open, Heart, Thorax, and Tobacco control – all journals in BMJ’s stable, have announced they will no longer carry research funded in part, or in whole, by the tobacco industry. Fiona Godlee, BMJ Editor in chief, explains what that means, and Allen Brandt, professor of the history of science at Harvard University, gives us a potted history of the way in which the tobacco industry has manipulated science. Also this week, Sebastian Brandner, professor of neuropathology at UCL, explains his research into the population prevalence of the prion which causes vCJD. See also Prevalent abnormal prion protein in human appendixes after bovine spongiform encephalopathy epizootic http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f5675 Journal policy on research funded by the tobacco industry http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f5193