WHO praises Brazil lawsuit against tobacco giants
The World Health Organization has praised Brazil's move to sue two global cigarette makers and their local units for costs of treating tobacco-related diseases, but the firms said Friday they were still waiting for details of the lawsuit.
British American Tobacco (BAT), Philip Morris International and their Brazilian subsidiaries were named by the attorney general's office (AGU) as the targets of the lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court.
The AGU wants to recover at least some of the billions of dollars spent over the past five years on treating patients suffering from 26 diseases linked to smoking tobacco products or exposure to cigarette smoke.
Since the targeted companies take the profits from cigarette sales abroad, "it is only fair that they pay for the burden they are leaving Brazilian society," prosecutor Davi Bressler said in a statement.
The WHO said Thursday it applauded the "Brazilian government's action." The amount of compensation sought would be calculated if the ...