BACKGROUND-AIM:
Despite significant progress under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), interference by the tobacco industry continues to undermine public health policy through lobbying, economic pressure, misleading corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, and opaque political influence. Existing measurement tools predominantly rely on retrospective narrative reporting, lack methodological adaptability, and fail to capture hidden or untraceable influence. This study aimed to develop a new, standardized, 40-item measurement instrument - the New Tobacco Industry Manipulation Index (NTIMI-40) - designed to monitor and quantify industry interference using both direct and indirect evidence across countries and over time.

METHODS:
The NTIMI-40 instrument was constructed through structured analysis of FCTC Articles 5.3, 6–16, and associated implementation guidelines, in combination with MPOWER strategic pillars. The index comprises seven modules: (1) policy interference, (2) tax and economic pressure, (3) CSR and legitimacy, (4) unnecessary interaction, (5) transparency, (6) conflict of interest and (7) protective measures. Each indicator is scored 0–4 using a calibrated multi-evidence model that accepts primary documentation (laws, media, legislative records) and secondary expert testimony, acknowledging the inherently covert nature of industry manipulation. A digital web-based scoring architecture was developed to allow continuous data entry, cross-country benchmarking, longitudinal comparison and evidence archiving.

RESULTS:
The development phase resulted in a fully operational scoring framework, a digital response structure, and an accompanying methodological handbook. Mapping of evidence requirements and scoring thresholds enabled the index to detect interference even where public documentation is limited. Expert consultation confirmed that NTIMI-40 fills an existing methodological gap by combining quantitative scoring + qualitative evidence capture and by recognizing indirect and hidden influence as a measurable dimension. Preliminary content validation suggests the tool may enhance national monitoring capacity, support civil society reporting and improve comparability across jurisdictions.

CONCLUSIONS:
The NTIMI-40 represents a next-generation framework for detecting, classifying, and quantifying tobacco industry manipulation. Unlike earlier indices, NTIMI-40 integrates hidden influence signals, expert testimony and transparent scoring matrices, offering a scalable instrument for policy surveillance and advocacy. Next steps include pilot deployment across two to three countries, inter-rater reliability testing, and longitudinal data generation, supporting future integration into global tobacco control surveillance systems.