Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
E-Cigarette Makers Will Have To Prove To FDA That Their Products Provide A Net Benefit To Public Health
Reuters: Special Report: FDA Targets E-Cigs That Hook Teens But Don't Help Smokers Quit
E-cigarette makers face an existential threat. By May, they must submit applications to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proving that their products provide a net benefit to public health. If a company fails to make its case, the FDA has the power to order its products off the market. The agency will judge that benefit with a two-part test: Are e-cigarettes effective in getting smokers to quit? (Kirkham, 12/18)
Reuters: FDA Under Fire For Years Of Delays On E-Cigarette Regulation
As the FDA pressures e-cigarette firms to stamp out youth vaping, the agency faces criticism itself for failing to rein in the fast-growing industry after years of bureaucratic delays dating back to the Obama administration. Despite recent tough talk, the FDA has yet to pass any new industry-wide restrictions after two years of rapid growth in teenage vaping tied to the popularity of e-cigarettes made by Juul Labs Inc. (12/18)
And in other news —
The Associated Press: WHO Sees Tobacco Drop Among Men, But Vaping Effects Unclear
Worldwide, the number of men using traditional tobacco products has finally started to decline, health officials said Thursday. Four out of five tobacco users globally are men, so declines among males "mark a turning point in the fight against tobacco,” Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization, said in a statement. (Stobbe, 12/18)
The Wall Street Journal: Bronx Teen’s Death Was Vaping-Related, Chief Medical Examiner Says
The New York City chief medical examiner on Wednesday ruled that the October death of a teenage boy was caused by complications from a lung injury related to use of an e-cigarette or vaping product. The Bronx teenager, Denis Byrne Jr., was 17 years old, the chief medical examiner said. The manner of death is considered an accident. It was the state’s first reported vaping-related death. The teenager’s family hadn’t responded to requests for comment. (West, 12/18)
