Pharmacy chain CVS Health Corp. announced Tuesday it is dropping its membership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce after a New York Times investigation revealed the business group has been lobbying against anti-tobacco laws in several countries.

CVS made headlines last year when it announced it would stop selling tobacco products. The company said the Chamber's advocacy on behalf of tobacco companies ran counter to CVS's mission to promote healthy lifestyles.

"We were surprised to read recent press reports concerning the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's position on tobacco products outside the United States," David Palombi, a senior vice president at the company, told the Times. "CVS Health's purpose is to help people on their path to better health, and we fundamentally believe tobacco use is in direct conflict with this purpose."

The newspaper reported last week that the Chamber and foreign affiliates have frequently fought against restrictions on tobacco sales and advertising in other countries and have challenged attempts to require warning labels on tobacco products. It noted the Chamber's efforts ran counter to an international World Health Organization campaign to curb tobacco use.

In a statement, the Chamber said the allegations were part of a "concerted misinformation campaign" about its position on smoking.

"To be clear, the chamber does not support smoking and wants people to quit," the organization said. "At the same time, we support protecting the intellectual property and trademarks of all legal products in all industries and oppose singling out certain industries for discriminatory treatment." http://nyti.ms/1LWoovQ

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