BAT appoints Dr Hutan Ashrafian as Chief Medical Officer to support its commitment to underpinning New Category products with science, according to a company press release.

Effective immediately, Dr Ashrafian will be responsible for overall medical governance and will ensure robust medical processes are applied to all aspects of BAT’s clinical studies and post-market surveillance, states the press release.
Dr Ashrafian is a senior clinician-scientist and surgeon who qualified in medicine at the University College London where he was awarded an honours degree in Immunology and Cell Pathology. He has lead large research and clinical teams and has extensive experience in strategy and driving national and international health policy with cabinet-level politicians, civil servants, and heads of state, according to the press release.
BAT aims to offer a range of less risky products and Dr Ashrafian will play a key role in the development and expansion of the range of potentially lower risk alternatives which include e-cigarettes, tobacco heated products and oral nicotine pouches. He will provide medical oversight to both BAT’s Human Research Committee and Product Stewardship Council and will play an important role in helping to define and generate evidence that supports and substantiates the tobacco harm reduction potential of BAT’s new categories from a disease perspective, states the press release.
“We are delighted to have Hutan join BAT and become a member of the R&D leadership team. The Chief Medical Officer has always been a critical role at BAT as we strive to ensure all of the studies we undertake are of the highest standards from a quality and integrity perspective,” said Dr David O’Reilly, Director, Scientific Research.