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Group therapy helps hospitalized COPD patients quit smoking 

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are more likely to quit smoking if they are offered smoking cessation programs rather than standard anti-smoking information at the same time as receiving hospital treatment, Danish researchers report.

Getting patients to quit is the most important factor in the treatment and rehabilitation of patients, Anders Borglykke (Glostrup University Hospital) and colleagues explain in the Clinical Respiratory Journal. However, the authors note, until now there has been little investigation into the effect of smoking cessation programs in patients hospitalized by COPD.

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EU approves British American Tobacco bid for Skandinavisk Tobakskompagni  

BRUSSELS, Belgium: EU antitrust regulators on Friday approved the purchase of Denmark-based Skandinavisk Tobakskompagni AS's cigarette business by British American Tobacco PLC.

The European Commission said, however, its approval of the US$3.9 billion (€2.48 billion) deal is conditional on the sale of a number of tobacco brands by BAT in Norway. BAT has offered to sell off two roll-your-own tobacco products in Norway, the EU said.

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In-hospital offer helps lung patients quit smoking 

Long-term smokers offered a smoking cessation program when they were hospitalized for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease problems were more than twice as likely to be non-smokers 1 year later than those not offered a smoking cessation program, researchers from Denmark report.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) includes non-reversible conditions like emphysema and chronic bronchitis that impede breathing.

"Smoking cessation will slow down this process and should therefore be thought of as a treatment in the patients still smoking," Anders Borglykke told Reuters Health.

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• Smokers have to punch in and out 

Employers are tightening the reins on their smoking employees by enforcing a new rule requring them to punch in and out every time they leave their desks for a cigarette break, reports Nyhedsavisen newspaper.

3F, one of the country's largest labour unions, is one of the companies who wants a harder line, despite the cries of protest by smoking workers.

'This is about equality between those who stay at their desks and carry on working and those who go outside for a cigarette break,' said Per Christensen, a 3F spokesperson.

Anette Bertram Sorensen, a representative for HK, the union for office workers, said it was 'grotesque' that management was singling out smokers only.

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Pete Robinson: Pub beer sales UP 8% since smoking ban! 

Yes it's true! Small pubs, bars and licenced food outlets have seen sales of beer and other beverages increase by 8 per cent since last year's smoking ban came into force.

The bad news is that this is in Denmark, where smaller premises are exempt. The figures are based on the four-month period after the smoking ban came into force on September 1st compared to the corresponding business period in 2006, as compiled by 'Statistics Denmark'.

The industry organization Horesta said it was surprised over the trend. "In other countries with smoking bans, sales dropped initially," Horesta director Lone Njor Hulth said. . .

I'm just off on another trip to Germany where I know I'll be free to join other smokers in most small bars and taverns. If we had it the same way over here the licenced trade wouldn't be in such a desperate crisis and everyone would be happy.

What a petty, vindictive country we live in.

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• Survey: Small restaurants not impacted by Danish public smoking ban 

A recent public smoking ban has apparently not impacted sales at small Danish pubs and restaurants as feared by bar owners, a survey published Friday said. Sales of beer and other beverages increased 8 per cent in the four-month period after the smoking ban came into force on September 1 compared to the corresponding business period in 2006, Statistics Denmark said.

The law exempts pubs or restaurants that are smaller than 40 square metres, and offices used by one person.

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• Finance minister breaks smoking ban  

Despite being a fervent proponent of the smoking ban, the finance minister has recently come under fire for smoking in his office during meetings with staff, reports Politiken newspaper.

The Liberal party finance minister Lars L�kke Rasmussen has also been reported to the Working Environment Authority for breaching the smoking ban by Red-Green Alliance's Per Clausen.

Clausen said that he did not believe it was legal for Rasmussen to smoke in his office despite the law allowing smoking in one-person offices as meetings were often held in private offices.

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• Complete smoking ban on the way 

The nation's smokers should brace themselves - a complete smoking ban will be enforced before long at all public places

Smoking will soon be banned in all pubs and caf�s. Even in establishments smaller than 40 square metres.

This loophole has kept smoking alive for many of the country's small establishments, and although the rule is less than a year old, MPs with Liberal Party politicians in the lead are gearing up for a complete ban.

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Herbert Smith Rolls Up for British American Tobacco's $4 Billion Danish Deal 

Herbert Smith has bagged a plum role advising regular client British American Tobacco on its £2.05 billion ($4.07 billion) acquisition of businesses from Danish tobacco giant Skandinavisk Tobakskompagni.

The deal, which is subject to European Commission approval and is expected to be completed later this year, will see BAT buy up a number of Skandinavisk's smokeless and roll-your-own tobacco interests.

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British American Tobacco Goes Scandanavian  

British American Tobacco said on Thursday that it had offered its 32.4% stake in Scandinavian Tobacco--valued at 8.9 billion Danish kroner ($1.8 billion)--along with 11.4 billion kroner ($2.3 billion) in cash, to acquire three of Scandinavian Tobacco's units: House of Prince, Fiedler & Lundgren and J.L. Tiedemanns.

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• UPDATE 3-BAT buys Scandinavian cigarettes as earnings rise 

British American Tobacco, the world's second-biggest cigarette maker, struck its second deal in a week with the purchase of Skandinavisk Tobakskompagni's (ST) cigarettes for 2 billion pounds ($4 billion) as it beat forecasts with an 11 percent rise in 2007 earnings.

London-based BAT said on Thursday it also planned to cut global costs by 800 million pounds over the five years to 2012, which is more than most analysts had expected, helping boost BAT shares 4 percent to 20.15 pounds before falling back with the market to trade off 0.7 percent at 19.26 by 1345 GMT.

BAT, which agreed to buy Turkey's state-owned cigarette maker Tekel last Friday, is buying 100 percent of the cigarette assets of privately-owned Denmark-based ST with snus and roll-your-own tobacco in an immediately earnings-enhancing deal.

"Good news comes in threes," said analyst Erik Bloomquist at JP Morgan, as the results were above forecasts, BAT planned big cost savings and the ST deal was immediately earnings accretive.

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BAT on the acquisition trail 

After five years of watching its competitors consolidate, British American Tobacco has come off the sidelines to do two deals in six days. BAT will spend a total of about £3bn on Tekel, the Turkish state tobacco company, and Skandinavisk Tobakskompagni, the cigarette arm of Denmark-based ST Group. Together the deals will increase BAT’s annual worldwide cigarette sales by 9 per cent by volume.

The timing is largely serendipitous. Turkey has tried to sell Tekel three times since 2003 and last week’s auction had been in the works for months. BAT has owned a third of privately-held ST since 1972 and has been eyeing the rest for years. But the two deals suggest that BAT’s management, which once proclaimed that tobacco deals were getting too expensive, now thinks prices are more reasonable. EDITOR’S CHOICE BAT confirms £2bn Nordic cigarette deal - Feb-28 BAT strikes it lucky once more - Feb-25 BAT win boosts Turkish presence - Feb-22 BAT among final bidders for Tekel - Feb-18 Strong day for London but not Imperial Tobacco - Jan-29 BAT struggles for air on fears over Richemont stake - Jan-23

On first blush, the judgement appears on target. BAT is acquiring Tekel and the ST cigarette assets for just over 11 times each company’s 2007 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation. That is less than the 12 times ebitda Japan Tobacco paid for Gallaher and well below Imperial Tobacco’s price for Altadis. Admittedly those deals were much bigger, but Tekel and ST fill important holes in BAT’s worldwide portfolio, giving it 60 per cent of the Scandinavian market and making it number two in Poland and Turkey.

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• BAT to Acquire Most of Denmark's ST for $4.1 Billion (Update3) 

British American Tobacco Plc, the maker of Lucky Strikes, agreed to buy most of Skandinavisk Tobakskompagni A/S for $4.1 billion, gaining 60 percent of the market for cigarettes in Scandinavia.

BAT said today it will pay 20.3 billion Danish kroner for ST units including Prince cigarettes and Fiedler & Lundgren, the Swedish maker of snus powdered tobacco. London-based BAT already owned 32 percent of Soeborg, Denmark-based ST.

The takeover of ST, whose roots date back 258 years, will save BAT 60 million pounds annually by 2011 and give the company a bigger foothold in the $2 billion-plus market for snus. It's the second purchase unveiled by BAT this month, following last week's $1.72 billion bid for Turkey's Tekel. At least $42 billion of tobacco mergers in a year have reduced competition, allowing price increases in a shrinking European cigarette market.

ST gives BAT ``a leading and profitable market share in Scandinavia,'' said Bruce Davidson, an analyst at Blue Oar Securities in London. ``It's almost always better to hold 100 percent of a business than 32 percent. Snus is a useful by- product of the deal.''

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Danish tobacco group sells its cigarette business to British American Tobacco 

enmark-based Scandinavian Tobacco Group said Thursday it has sold its cigarette activities to British American Tobacco PLC, the world's second-largest quoted tobacco group in a €2.7 million (US$4.1 million) deal.

BAT acquired ST's flagship brand Prince and its other products North State, King's Original, Scotsman and Corner Red.

Scandinavian Holding, which controls 65 percent of ST, sold its shares in three companies — House of Prince, J.L. Tiedemanns Tobaksfabrik and Fiedler & Lundgren — to BAT. The companies employ a total of some 2,100 people, of which 730 work in Denmark.

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Research indicates cigarette makers have increased the risks of smoking by adding chemicals 

A new study from the Danish Cancer Society charges the tobacco industry with knowingly adding at least 200 different chemicals to its products in order to make it easier for people to smoke.

Some of the chemicals also increase the addictive power of nicotine, according to Per Kim Nielsen of the Cancer Society.

He added that some of the chemicals are directly harmful to the body.

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