“In landmark case, Brazil sues top tobacco firms to recover public health costs”, 22^nd May 2019

…Brazil is suing the world’s largest cigarette makers, British American Tobacco Plc and Philip Morris International, in a landmark case aimed at recovering the public health treatment costs of tobacco-related diseases over the last five years. The Brazilian solicitor general’s office, known as the AGU, announced the lawsuit...against the two multinational companies and their Brazilian subsidiaries, who produce most of the cigarettes sold in the country. The suit seeks to recover the cost of treating patients for 26 illnesses related to smoking tobacco…Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in Brazil. It kills over 156,000 each year from related diseases, costing the healthcare system about 57 billion reais ($14.1 billion), according to a statement from Bloomberg Philanthropies…“The suit is the first of its kind for Brazil and a significant step toward holding the two major tobacco companies who do business in Brazil and their parent companies responsible for the enormous financial and health burdens caused by tobacco use,” the Washington-based Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids said…The international companies, through their subsidiaries, Souza Cruz Ltda, Philip Morris Brasil Industria e Comercio Ltda and Philip Morris Brasil SA, produce about 90% of the cigarettes sold in Brazil, the AGU statement said.