Scientists Say Nicotine Research Was Suppressed

Two former scientists for Philip Morris USA told a House panel Thursday that the company suppressed their research and abruptly closed their lab after their studies on rats more than a decade ago raised serious questions about the potential addictive nature of nicotine.

“You cannot prove addiction from a rat, but you can say that further work is needed,” Victor DeNoble told the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on health and the environment. “It is a real strong indicator.”

Steven Parrish, a senior vice president of Philip Morris, said DeNoble had changed his opinions over time, making his findings more dramatic than they were.

Working with fellow scientist Paul Mele, DeNoble studied whether rats would press levers in their cages to self-administer nicotine intravenously.

They found that the rats frequently self-administered nicotine, much more often than a saline solution made available in the same manner, and that nicotine had a positive reinforcing effect, DeNoble testified Thursday.

The pattern indicated potential addiction to nicotine, DeNoble said. Although it did not follow that the same patterns would be found in humans, it did warrant further investigation, he argued.

DeNoble and Mele said they had been led to believe that they could publish work in journals while working for Philip Morris. But company officials requested that they withdraw their paper after it had been accepted for publication in 1983, the scientists testified. They said they were also told to cancel a presentation to a meeting of the American Psychological Assn.

DeNoble and Mele continued their research through the start of 1984, they said. But in April, 1984, their boss told them that their lab was being closed.

Even after leaving the company, when the scientists resubmitted their study for publication in 1985 and 1986, Philip Morris threatened legal action and they were forced to back down, DeNoble said.