Not a Good Look

Medcape, a medical website, set up an anti-smoking education program sponsored in part by Philip Morris.

If this sounds mind-mindbogglingly stupid and a bit hypocritical, you get this:

One of the largest medical education providers in the United States has terminated its multimillion-dollar deal with Philip Morris International following public outcry over the tobacco giant’s sponsorship of its smoking cessation courses.

The move comes after The BMJ revealed Medscape’s partnership with the world’s second biggest tobacco company earlier this month. An internal document shared with The Examination and The BMJ now reveals the scale of the deal: Philip Morris International was due to pay $2.9 million in order to deliver a year-long “PMI curriculum” to be sent to the provider’s vast network of healthcare professionals.

The Medscape deal appears to be part of a strategy by Philip Morris International to sponsor continuous professional development courses for medical professionals around the world. The Examination has discovered that the tobacco company has also sponsored webinars on “harm reduction” across the the Middle East and in South Africa.

For some reason, this level of rat-f%$#ery reminds me of 2 or 3 classic Warner Brothers cartoons.