The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the first menthol-flavored product Electronic cigarettes For adult smokers, recognizing that vaping flavors can reduce the harms of traditional tobacco smoking.
The FDA said it has authorized four e-cigarettes containing menthol from Njoy, the e-cigarette brand recently acquired by tobacco giant Altria, which also sells Marlboro cigarettes.
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The decision lends new credibility to vaping companies' long-standing claim that their products The products can help mitigate the effects of smokingWhich causes the death of 480,000 people annually in the United States due to cancer, lung disease, and heart disease.
Parent groups and anti-tobacco advocates immediately criticized the decision, which comes after years of regulators pushing to keep menthol and smoking in place. Other flavors that may appeal to teens Off the market.
“This decision may mean we will never be able to close the Pandora's box of the youth vaping epidemic,” said Meredith Berkman, co-founder of Parents Against E-Cigarettes. “The FDA has once again failed American families by allowing a predatory industry to capture the next generation of its lifelong customers – America’s children.”
Youth vaping has declined from all-time highs in recent years, with about 10% of high school students reporting use of e-cigarettes in the past year. Of those who used e-cigarettes, 90% used flavors, including menthol.
All e-cigarettes previously authorized by the FDA were tobacco, which is not widely used by youth who use e-cigarettes.
Njoy is one of only three companies to previously receive FDA approval for vaping products. Like these products, menthol versions come in the form of cartridges that attach to a reusable device that heats liquid nicotine, turning it into an inhalable aerosol.
Njoy products accounted for less than 3% of U.S. e-cigarette sales last year, according to retail data from Nielsen. Vuse, owned by Reynolds American, and Juul control about 60% of the market, while hundreds of… Disposable brands Calculate the rest.
Most teens who use e-cigarettes use disposable e-cigarettes, including brands such as Elf barWhich comes in flavors like watermelon and raspberry ice.
The FDA said Altria data showed Njoy e-cigarettes helped smokers reduce their exposure to harmful chemicals found in traditional cigarettes. The agency stressed that the products are neither safe nor “FDA-approved,” and that people who do not smoke should not use them.
Friday's action is part of a sweeping FDA review aimed at scientifically scrutinizing the multibillion-dollar e-cigarette market after years of regulatory delays. The US market currently includes thousands of fruit- and candy-flavored e-cigarettes, which are technically illegal but widely available in convenience stores, gas stations and vape shops.
The FDA faced a self-imposed court deadline at the end of this month to end its years-long review of major e-cigarette brands, including Juul and Vuse.
These brands have been sold in the United States for years, waiting for the FDA to make a decision on their scientific applications. To remain in the market, companies must prove that their e-cigarettes provide a general health benefit to smokers, without overwhelming appeal to children.
“Based on our rigorous scientific review, in this case, the strength of the evidence for the benefits to adult smokers of completely switching to a less harmful product was sufficient to outweigh the risks to youth,” said Matthew Farrelly of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products.