The BMJ Series on the arms industry as a commercial determinant of health uncovers the role of the arms trade in health and calls for more scrutiny of its health-harming activities and its unhealthy relationship with governments.

An international group of experts lay out the direct and wider harms of arms and show how weapons manufacturers use commercial strategies to subvert public health agendas and shape discourse around security and violence.

The Series argues that, like the tobacco, alcohol, and fossil fuel industries, the arms industry should be seen as a commercial determinant of health, where corporate practices matter as much as products when considering how industries can harm health.