Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA Begins E-Cigarette Crackdown, Ordering 55,000 Products To Be Pulled
CNN: FDA Blocks Sale Of 55,000 Flavored E-Cigarette Products
The US Food and Drug Administration blocked the sale of more 55,000 flavored e-cigarette products Thursday, its first ban of e-cigarette products since it began requiring makers to apply for premarket review last September. The FDA issued marketing denial orders for the electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) products, saying they pose a public health threat to youth in the US. Of the more than 55,000 products impacted by the decision, those not yet being sold may not be introduced into the market, and those already on the market must be removed or risk enforcement. (Mascarenhas, 8/26)
The Washington Post: FDA Orders Three Small E-Cigarette Makers To Pull Products From The Market
The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday ordered three small e-cigarette manufacturers not to sell their flavored products, the first in a series of decisions that could imperil products sold by Juul and hundreds of other e-cigarette, hookah, cigar and pipe manufacturers. Under the FDA’s orders, the manufacturers — JD Nova Group LLC, Great American Vapes and VaporSalon — must pull 55,000 existing or planned flavored products from the market or risk enforcement. Regulators said the companies’ applications failed to provide “sufficient evidence” that their products provide a net public health benefit for adult smokers compared with the “threat posed by the well-documented, alarming levels of youth use” of flavored vapes. (Diamond, 8/26)
The Wall Street Journal: Juul, Other E-Cigarette Makers Face Judgment Day
A shakeout of e-cigarettes is at hand. The Food and Drug Administration is nearing a deadline to decide which e-cigarettes may remain on the market in a series of rulings that have already begun to reshape the industry. The agency’s mandate is to authorize vaping products only if their manufacturers can demonstrate that they are in the interest of public health. The FDA must weigh, among other things, the potential good of adult cigarette smokers switching to a less harmful option against the potential harm of young people getting hooked on nicotine. (Maloney, 8/22)
In related news —
WQAD: New E-Cig Laws Make It Harder For Minors To Access In Illinois
Two new laws in Illinois were passed to make it harder for minors to access vaping products. The two laws focus on a few different things; the first one prohibits ads from using cartoon characters, video game characters, and popular children's media from promoting e-cigarettes. It also makes it harder to buy e-cigarettes online. Buyers will now have to use a credit card or check in the buyer’s name. The second law allows the Department of Human Services to do compliance checks and carry out sting operations to make sure no sales are being carried out to underagers. (Wedlake, 8/24)
