QUIT-LIKE-SWEDEN
INTERNATIONAL health experts today rallied behind a major new global effort to replicate Sweden’s success at eradicating smoking by embracing a comprehensive approach that could prevent many millions of premature deaths worldwide.
Quit Like Sweden (QLS), launched at a conference in Brasilia featuring medical professionals, politicians and policymakers, will motivate and support countries worldwide to emulate the triumph of Sweden, which is set to become the first nation to attain official ‘smoke-free’ status later this year.1
QLS founder Suely Castro, a Brazil-born harm reduction advocate, said: “Sweden has achieved this remarkable feat by ensuring that safer alternatives to smoking are accessible, acceptable and affordable.2
“A country where 49% of men used to smoke regularly has virtually wiped out this scourge by allowing its smokers to switch to products that pose just a fraction of the risks, such as snus [traditional smokeless tobacco] and other smoke-free alternatives like vapes and nicotine pouches.3
“Swedes are reaping the health dividend with significantly lower cancer cases and mortality rates compared to their European counterparts4. Now Quit Like Sweden will amplify this message globally, leveraging expertise and fostering collaboration across stakeholders to help countries replicate the Swedish Experience.”
Ms Castro was joined at the launch of her new platform by leading international harm reduction experts who unveiled new research showing that Brazil could save 1.36 million lives by 2060 by adopting the Swedish approach.5
Earlier research has shown that three million more Europeans would be alive today if other countries had implemented Sweden’s comprehensive approach to helping smokers quit.
Meanwhile, a study of low and middle-income countries (LMICs) shows that, through the adoption of Swedish-style policies, Kazakhstan could prevent 165 000 premature deaths in the next four decades, while South Africa, Bangladesh and Pakistan could save 320 000, 920 000, and 1 200 000 lives, respectively.6
Research co-author Dr Anders Milton, a former chair of the World Medical Association and former Secretary General of the Swedish Medical Association, said: “Sweden is winning the war against smoking with a comprehensive approach to tobacco control that supplements traditional cessation and preventive measures with an all-important added element: giving smokers the opportunity to switch to safer alternatives.
“It has set out a policy roadmap that should be treated as a gift to global public health and, potentially, one of the greatest ever breakthroughs in tackling non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
”That’s why QLS is so important. By spreading the message of the Swedish Experience to all corners, many millions of premature deaths - including almost 1.4 million here in Brazil - could be prevented in the next four decades.”
London-based Ms Castro said she had been motivated to launch QLS by her father, a lifelong smoker who lives in Bahia.
“Like Brazil’s other 22 million smokers, my father has been deprived of the lifelines given to the Swedes because of regulatory barriers and societal resistance towards alternative nicotine products.
“Quit Like Sweden aims to empower individuals - here in Brazil, and around the globe - to reclaim control over their health.”
-ENDS-
Notes to editors:
Quit Like Sweden is a platform for people who want to eradicate smoking. The smoking rate in Sweden, where once 49% of the male population smoked regularly, is about to fall below 5%, the level regarded by the World Health Organization as officially ‘smoke-free’. Quit Like Sweden aims to encourage other countries to replicate the Swedish Experience by using traditional cessation and prevention measures while making alternatives to smoking accessible, acceptable and affordable.
An official launch of Quit Like Sweden in Brasilia on April 10 features eminent guest speakers on a variety of topics:
Public policy: Swedish MP Jesper Skalberg Karlsson, Brazilian Senator Soraya Thronicke and Federico Fernandez, We Are Innovation.
Misinformation and the impact on consumers: Miguel Okumura, THR Brasil and Alexandro Lucian, DIRETA.
The Swedish Experience’s life-saving potential for Brazil: Dr Delon Human, Dr Anders Milton and Prof. Dr. Erika Magalhaes Suzigan.
Public health policymaking: Dr Roberto Sussman, Dr Konstantinos Farsalinos, Dr Christopher Russell, David Sweanor, Dr Marewa Glover, Jorge A. Costa e Silva.
1 https://smokefreesweden.org/wp-content/themes/smokefreesweden/assets/pdf/reports/Report%20The%20Swedish%20Experience%20EN.pdf
2 https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/file/3563/download
3 https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2019/oct/e-cigarettes-may-help-over-50000-smokers-quit-england-each-year
4 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/345643346_Tobacco-related_mortality_SwedenEU_easier_readable_charts
5 per co-authored by Dr Delon Human, Dr Anders Milton & Dr Erica Suzigan, 2024.
6 https://smokefreesweden.org/lives-saved.pdf
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240410373868/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Cyclic Materials Secures USD $75M Series C Funding to Fast-Track Local and Resilient Rare Earths Supply at Global Scale23.1.2026 13:00:00 CET | Press release
New equity investment will accelerate deployment of resilient, locally anchored rare earths recycling infrastructure enabling new streams of heavy rare earths supply for AI, robotics, defense and advanced manufacturing critical to the future of Western industry Cyclic Materials today announced it has closed an over-subscribed USD $75 million Series C equity round, its largest to date, scaling up operations across the US and Europe and accelerating Canada-based research and development footprint. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260123519008/en/ Cyclic Materials’ Mesa, Arizona site, the very first scale-up of a commercial plant for recycling and local production of rare earths in the US, with a focus on heavy and light rare earth magnets. The recycling of magnet-containing end-of-life (EOL) scrap and magnet production waste is the fastest way to the production of magnet rare earth elements (REEs) in Western coun
SLB Announces Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Results, Increases Dividend and Commits to Return More Than $4 Billion to Shareholders in 202623.1.2026 12:50:00 CET | Press release
Fourth-quarter revenue of $9.75 billion increased 9% sequentially and 5% year on year Fourth-quarter GAAP EPS of $0.55 increased 10% sequentially and decreased 29% year on year Fourth-quarter EPS, excluding charges and credits, of $0.78 increased 13% sequentially and declined 15% year on year Fourth-quarter net income attributable to SLB of $824 million increased 12% sequentially and decreased 25% year on year Fourth-quarter adjusted EBITDA of $2.33 billion increased 13% sequentially and decreased 2% year on year Fourth-quarter cash flow from operations was $3.01 billion and free cash flow was $2.29 billion Board approved a 3.5% increase in quarterly cash dividend to $0.295 per share Full-year revenue of $35.71 billion decreased 2% year on year Full-year GAAP EPS of $2.35 decreased 24% year on year Full-year EPS, excluding charges and credits, of $2.93 decreased 14% year on year Full-year net income attributable to SLB of $3.37 billion decreased 24% year on year Full-year adjusted EBIT
“And I Chose to Live” The Blind Sailor Mitsuhiro Iwamoto Takes the Stage at WEF23.1.2026 09:00:00 CET | Press release
- “HIRO’s CHOICE”: A Solo, Non-Stop Crossing of the Pacific Ocean- Mitsuhiro Iwamoto, a blind Japanese sailor based in San Diego, delivered a speech at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026 on January 21 (local time). He is undertaking the world’s first solo, non-stop trans-Pacific crossing by a blind person as part of the “Blind Sailor Single-Handed Pacific Crossing Project 2027.” WEF URL: https://www.weforum.org/ This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260121469502/en/ Hiro Iwamoto / Global Keynote Speaker, First Totally Blind Sailor to Cross the Pacific In the spring of 2027, he will attempt a solo, non-stop trans-Pacific crossing, sailing a 28-foot yacht single-handedly from San Diego on the U.S. West Coast to Amakusa, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, without making any port calls. Project URL: https://hiros-choice.com/ The theme of his speech was “Sailing Through Barriers.” He spoke about how, since losing his
BitGo Holdings fejrer sin børsnotering på New York Stock Exchange23.1.2026 03:52:00 CET | Pressemeddelelse
BitGo Holdings, Inc. ("BitGo", "virksomheden", "vi"), en virksomhed inden for digital infrastruktur til aktiver, fejrer i dag sin lancering på New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") som et børsnoteret selskab under tickersymbolet "BTGO". Medlemmer af BitGos ledelsesteam vil i dag kl. 09:30 ET ringe med åbningsklokken på NYSE. "I dag markerer et afgørende øjeblik for BitGo," udtaler Mike Belshe, administrerende direktør og medstifter af BitGo. "Vores indtræden på de offentlige markeder vil gøre det muligt for os yderligere at accelerere det finansielle systems overgang til en gennemsigtig og troværdig digital aktivøkonomi, samtidig med at vi fortsat kan levere enestående sikkerheds-, depot- og likviditetsløsninger til vores kunder. Vi er overbeviste om, at potentialet forude er stort, og at vi er unikt positioneret til at hjælpe institutioner med at gå fremtiden i møde." Belshe fortsætter: "Jeg er utroligt stolt af den virksomhed, vi har opbygget, og dybt taknemmelig for vores teams hårde arb
Tinaba with Banca Profilo Strengthens Its Global Positioning and Launches Digital Payments in the Chinese Mainland with Alipay+23.1.2026 02:41:00 CET | Press release
Through the “Pay Worldwide with Alipay+” feature available in the App, users can pay in the Chinese mainland at over 80 million merchants Tinaba with Banca Profilo announces the launch of digital payments in the Chinese mainland through the extension of its strategic partnership with Alipay+, Ant International’s global wallet gateway solution, bringing a simple, cashless and local payment experience to Italian travellers in the world’s largest digital market. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260122062969/en/ Matteo Arpe, President of Tinaba with Banca Profilo, announces the expanded partnership with Alipay+ in Milan, Italy Starting today, users can pay in the Chinese mainland at over 80 million merchants simply by scanning a QR code directly from the Tinaba App. This innovation is particularly significant in a country where digital payments are the everyday standard and cash is increasingly less used. The servi
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom