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deBethizy, Donald J.

US Fact Witness

Dr. deBethizy is a toxicologist who worked for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. from 1985 to 2000, rising to the level of Vice President of Product Evaluation. He is now the president of Targacept, a company in Winston-Salem, NC of which Reynolds owns 41%, that focuses on the use and development of nicotine analogues. At Reynolds, deBethizy served in the following positions:

In his VP position, deBethizy was in charge of all toxicology work at the company, overseeing groups including environmental and molecular toxicology, genotoxicity, animal toxicology, smoking behavior and pharmacology. Product Evaluation at Reynolds purported to oversee processes including the testing or evaluation of both conventional and believed-to-be less hazardous products such as Premier and Eclipse ­ two products deBethizy claims were premised on a hypothesis of reducing tar while maintaining high nicotine levels. Indeed, deBethizy co-authored a strategy to develop what became Eclipse for the purpose of stemming the "decline of smoking incidence" by offering a product that created the perception of being less hazardous in order to "minimize ... [smokers'] concerns regarding the hazards of smoking" ­ i.e., to remove an incentive to quitting smoking. DeBethizy also claims to have expertise in nicotine issues, using these skills to, among other things, develop and lead a Positive Aspects of Nicotine Team project to defend the industry by creating a debate around why people smoke, with a goal of fighting efforts to classify nicotine as addictive, employing both scientific and communications/public opinion tools. He served as a science media liaison for the company from 1990 to 2000.

Source: United States' Factual Memorandum Pursuant to Order #470, Section V (tab 1)