http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/country/sweden.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://uk.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUKL1860279520080718?sp=true http://tobacco.org/news/268903.html Tobacco products maker Swedish Match posted a bigger-than-expected rise in second-quarter earnings on Friday, helped by snuff sales, and stood by its full-year forecast, sending its shares higher. Pretax profit came in at 614 million Swedish crowns ($103 million), versus a year-earlier 563 million and a mean forecast of 586 million in a Reuters poll. "The report looks pretty good overall (with) good snuff sales and a good cigar margin," said an analyst who declined to be identified. The operating margin for wet snuff or snus -- a tobacco sold mainly in the United States and Scandinavia but banned elsewhere in the European Union -- rose to 43.0 percent from 39.1 percent, and compared with a consensus forecast of 42.9 percent. Reuters Sweden Fri, 18 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://blogs.reuters.com/oddly-enough/2008/06/14/now-smoking-onstage-for-your-entertainment/ http://tobacco.org/news/266931.html It may just be a cultural nuance, but our actual caption says this guy is performing at a festival in Sweden. That seems an odd verb to use, because to me it just looks like he’s lighting a cigarette. That isn’t much of a performance. You can see that outside any office building. I’m not saying this dude isn’t really good at it. Heck, he even has spare cigarettes in his hatband, so he must “perform” a lot. I’m just saying if Swedish fans are entertained by this, we have a lot of smokers we can send over for the next festival. I mean, if they’re still alive. smoking-360.jpgPete Doherty of the Babyshambles performs at the Hultsfred festival in Sweden June 12, 2008. Reuters Sweden Sat, 14 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080613111850.htm http://tobacco.org/news/266886.html New data presented June 13 at EULAR 2008, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism in Paris, France, show that intake of oily fish is associated with a reduced risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA), whereas psychosocial work stress and smoking can increase the risk of developing the condition. The findings, all taken from a large population-based case-control study in Sweden called EIRA (Epidemiological Investigation of Rheumatoid Arthritis), shed light on the important role of environmental and social factors in the development of RA. ScienceDaily Magazine editor@sciencedaily.com Sweden Fri, 13 Jun 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.thelocal.se/11688/20080511/ http://tobacco.org/news/265098.html The Umeå branch of supermarket chain Ica in northern Sweden is clearing its shelves of cigarettes. As of June 1st, Ica in Umeå will be the first grocery store in Sweden to throw out all tobacco products apart from snus, the chewing tobacco popular in Sweden, E24 reports. Manager Mats Calla felt that the supermarket’s support of local sports and healthy living was at odds with sales of cigarettes. The Local.se news@thelocal.se Sweden Sun, 11 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUSL0629754420080506 http://tobacco.org/news/264875.html Tobacco products firm Swedish Match said on Tuesday it was investigating whether its tobacco- and nicotine-free snus product could cause cavities after dentists contacted the firm. Swedish Match's biggest and most profitable product, snus, is a wet tobacco snuff that is placed under the upper lip. In 2006 the firm launched tobacco-free snus in Sweden, the world's biggest snuff market per capita. Freddi Lewin, health advisor at Swedish Match, said the company had been contacted by two dentists in the past month saying patients using the product had developed cavities, and also by consumers with similar concerns. The firm said it was taking the information seriously and had initiated an analysis of the production and the ingredients of the product, Onico, which is based on corn fibre. Reuters Sweden Tue, 06 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSL2812088120080429 http://tobacco.org/news/264448.html Nordic scientists have launched a trial on a vaccine designed to help smokers kick the world's deadliest habit by depriving them of one of its chief pleasures, the firm that owns the vaccine said on Tuesday. Independent Pharmaceutica, a private company based at Stockholm's Karolinska Institute and founded in 1997 by Professor Torgny Svensson, joins a growing line-up of biotech companies seeking to develop an anti-nicotine shot. Its researchers say the vaccine eliminates the quick high smokers relish by creating antibodies that bind to nicotine molecules, making them too bulky to enter the brain. Reuters Sweden Tue, 29 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7010788519 http://tobacco.org/news/264428.html Around 400 people in Nordic countries will get the first shots-literally-of an anti-nicotine vaccine developed by Swedish researchers at the Karolinska Institute. The test run of the vaccine will be conducted over the next year. According to Lena Wikingsson, head of Independent Pharmaceutica, which is running the experiment, people taking part in the study - heavy smokers who would like to quit - would undergo counselling prior to the treatment. Participants will receive one injection every month for four months. The anti-smoking vaccine, called Niccine, was developed over a period of 10 years at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden by researchers led by professor Torgny Svensson, who founded Independent Pharmaceutica. All Headline News Sweden Thu, 01 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080429/lf_afp/lifestyleswedenhealthbusiness_080429040325 http://tobacco.org/news/264236.html High-tech gyms, free breakfasts, and programmes to help people lose weight or stop smoking: modern Swedish companies pamper their employees in a bid to combat one of Europe's highest absenteeism rates. Agence France Presse Sweden Tue, 29 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gg5zkPHQrBKm9f1zoimqOh3a13_w http://tobacco.org/news/264233.html An anti-nicotine vaccine will be tested on 400 people in the Nordic countries over the next year aimed at helping smokers kick the habit, the Karolinska Institute in Sweden said on Monday. "A Swedish vaccine against nicotine will be tested on 400 people in three Nordic countries," the institute said in a statement. Lena Wikingsson, head of Independent Pharmaceutica, which is running the experiment, told Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet that people taking part in the study -- heavy smokers who would like to quit -- would be given counselling before they stop smoking and would be given a drug to help them quit. . . . The vaccine, called Niccine, has been developed over the course of 10 years by Swedish researchers at the Karolinska Institute, under the guidance of professor Torgny Svensson who founded Independent Pharmaceutica. Niccine is supposed to help the immune system build antibodies against nicotine. Agence France Presse Sweden Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.thelocal.se/10007/20080216/ http://tobacco.org/news/263834.html Marie-Louise Ekholm, a member of the Moderate party and local councillor in Nässjö in southern Sweden, wants non-smoking council employees to be rewarded, reports Dagens Nyheter. Ekholm, who is a doctor by profession, argues that a healthier life is insufficient reward for stubbing out the cigarettes for good and has submitted a formal proposal to the local council. Non-smokers get sick less, take fewer breaks and are less of a burden on society it is argued and should therefore get an extra day's holiday. The Local.se news@thelocal.se Sweden Sat, 16 Feb 2008 05:00:00 GMT http://www.thelocal.se/11278/20080422/ http://tobacco.org/news/263832.html How has the ban in Sweden affected bars and clubs, and has the No Smoking Generation become the New Smoking Generation? In the long dark winter months -- before the sun claws its way above the quaint low-rise skyline - Stockholm is a deserted place. At least streetside. Sure you will see the odd frost-bitten soul rushing from the metro to work and the sanctuary of the warmth inside. But for the most part the city's residents go underground and Stockholm takes on a calm and tranquility that its watery setting affords. Except for the smokers. They have no choice. No longer welcome in the bars and caf?they are forced to take to the streets to feed their frowned-upon habit. They can often be seen without coats and hats puffing away to get that nicotine fix in record time before their index and middle-fingers become inseparable from their cigarettes. The hassle of checking out their coats and checking them back in is too much for those just nipping out for a quick fag. The Local.se news@thelocal.se (Peter Vinthagen Simpson) Sweden Tue, 22 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/118496565/ABSTRACT?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0 http://tobacco.org/news/263790.html Scandinavian moist snuff (snus) is claimed to be a safer alternative to smoking. We aimed to quantify cancer incidence among male snus users . . . A statistically significant increase in the incidence of the combined category of oral and pharyngeal cancer among daily users of snus (incidence rate ratio 3.1, 95% confidence interval 1.5-6.6) was found. Overall mortality was also slightly increased (hazard ratio 1.10, 95% confidence interval 1.01-1.21). Although the combined previous literature on snus and oral cancer weigh toward no association, this population-based prospective study provided suggestive evidence of snus-related risks that cannot be lightly ignored. Wiley InterScience ann.roosaar@ki.se Sweden Tue, 22 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.thelocal.se/11248/20080421/ http://tobacco.org/news/263724.html Every other Swede wants to prohibit the sale of tobacco products in grocery stores, according to a new study from the Swedish Cancer Society (Cancerfonden). Overall, 57 percent of Swedes polled support prohibiting the sale of tobacco products in grocery stores. In its annual report on cancer the Cancer Society demands that smoking be treated as the next major health policy issue. "Cancer has now become an established issue in the political debate and we can be happy that the government has established an inquiry to develop a national cancer strategy. It is high time politicians tackled the problem of tobacco smoking. The National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) ought to adopt principles for prevention and the inquiry ought to also include concrete proposals about tobacco," Cancer Society secretary general Ursula Tengelin said in a statement. The Local.se news@thelocal.se Sweden Mon, 21 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Science/2008/04/19/swedish_tobacco_tied_to_premature_death/7453/ http://tobacco.org/news/263713.html A form of moist Swedish tobacco known as snus has been linked to premature death in users, a new longitudinal study has found. Dr. Ann Roosaar at the Odontological Institute said the study found snus -- it rhymes with moose -- posed a significant health risk to those who used it even when compared to normal tobacco, the Swedish news agency TT reported Saturday. "Even if smoking is without question a much greater threat to health than snus our research rejects the view that the use of Swedish snus is in principle without risk," the researcher said. The study examined the use of snus in the Swedish municipalities of Enkoping and Habo during a 30-year period UPI Sweden Sat, 19 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080229075213.htm http://tobacco.org/news/260523.html Smoking is a known risk factor for respiratory diseases like chronic bronchitis, but genes also play a significant role in its development, according to researchers in Sweden, who studied more than 40,000 Swedish twins to determine the extent to which behavior, environment and genes each play a role ion the development of chronic bronchitis. "[S]moking behavior has a known genetic component and smoking is a primary risk factor for chronic bronchitis," wrote Jenny Hallberg, of the Department of Public Health Sciences at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm. Hereditability accounted for 40 percent of the risk for chronic bronchitis, but, interestingly, 14 percent of the genetic risk was also linked to a genetic predisposition to smoke, whether or not the individual actually smoked. Chronic bronchitis along with emphysema account for most cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. The researchers analyzed data from the Screening Across Lifespan Twin (SALT) study in Sweden, which surveyed all known living twins in Sweden born in 1958 or earlier. ScienceDaily Magazine editor@sciencedaily.com Sweden Fri, 29 Feb 2008 05:00:00 GMT