Sir, Rather than seeing the proposed takeover of the British respiratory drug company Vectura by Philip Morris International (PMI) as a threat (letter, Jul 15) a more nuanced analysis would consider the opportunity provided if PMI moved further and more quickly away from its core business of making cigarettes. A tobacco company moving in the direction of a bioscience company, based on strong R&D, will hasten an end to reliance on cigarette revenues. Blocking technological transformation in tobacco companies forces them to keep selling cigarettes, which is in no one’s interest.
Gerry Stimson, emeritus professor, Imperial College London