Overview of French Studies on Link Between Smoking and COVID-19

On April 21, 2020, two encouraging studies were released. The linked French studies argued that smoking and nicotine can protect tobacco users from COVID-19 and serve as a treatment option for the novel disease.

However, these studies are problematic and deeply concerning because:

• neither study is peer reviewed,
• the first study was based on results from one small hospital where patients were not representative of the larger population and,
• the lead author of the second study has a deep and long-standing link to the tobacco industry.

Media coverage has failed to identify the weaknesses of these studies, in some cases even prompting the panic-buying of nicotine. Studies such as these undermine the clear and consistent messaging on COVID-19 that is critical for public health and understanding.

Read more about how these smokescreen studies were conducted and why they can’t be trusted.