Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA Takes 'Historic First Step' Toward Cutting Nicotine In Cigarettes To Non-Addictive Levels
NPR: FDA To Limit Nicotine In Cigarettes
The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it wants to sharply reduce the amount of nicotine in cigarettes. The idea is to help wean millions of smokers off their deadly habit and prevent millions more from becoming regular smokers in the first place. "Despite years of aggressive efforts to tackle the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States, tobacco use — largely cigarette smoking — still kills more than 480,000 Americans every single year," FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a statement. (Stein, 3/15)
Kaiser Health News: FDA Moves To Cut Nicotine In Cigarettes, Helping Smokers Kick Habit
The idea of reducing nicotine to non-addictive or “minimally addictive” levels is the “cornerstone” of a comprehensive tobacco control plan announced in July by FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb. “We’re taking a pivotal step today that could ultimately bring us closer to our vision of a world where combustible cigarettes would no longer create or sustain addiction — making it harder for future generations to become addicted in the first place and allowing more currently addicted smokers to quit or switch to potentially less harmful products,” Gottlieb said. (Szabo, 3/15)
The Washington Post: FDA Moves Ahead With ‘Historic’ Plan To Reduce Nicotine In Cigarettes
Commissioner Scott Gottlieb unveiled an “advance notice of proposed rulemaking,” the earliest step in what promises to be a long, complicated regulatory effort to lower nicotine levels to be minimally addictive or nonaddictive. The notice, to be published Friday in the Federal Register, includes new data published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday based on a possible policy scenario. That FDA-funded analysis found that slashing nicotine levels could push the smoking rate down to 1.4 percent from the current 15 percent of adults. That in turn would result in 8 million fewer tobacco-related deaths through the end of the century — which Gottlieb termed “an undeniable public health benefit.” (McGinley, 3/15)
The Associated Press: FDA Begins Push To Cut Addictive Nicotine In Cigarettes
Currently, there are no limits on nicotine, which occurs naturally in tobacco plants. Under law, the FDA can regulate nicotine although it cannot remove it completely. The FDA's powers to police the tobacco industry are unique worldwide and the attempt to restrict nicotine would represent a first in global efforts to reduce smoking-related deaths. Under one scenario, the FDA estimates the U.S. smoking rate could fall as low as 1.4 percent by 2060, down from the 15 percent of adults who smoke now. (Perrone, 3/15)
The Wall Street Journal: FDA Moves To Curb Nicotine In Cigarettes
Nicotine levels in cigarettes can be reduced in different ways. Manufacturers can adjust the blend of tobacco leaves or use different types of paper or filters. Nicotine can also be stripped from the leaf in the manufacturing process. But products with very low levels of nicotine have never garnered a significant share of the U.S. market. The FDA has said its approach will consider a continuum of risk for nicotine delivery, from combustible products such as cigarettes to replacement therapies like nicotine gums. (Chaudhuri, 3/15)
Los Angeles Times: In A First, The FDA Announces Its Intention To Reduce The Amount Of Nicotine Allowed In Cigarettes
The FDA action won praise from public health advocates, who lament the loss of 480,000 American lives each year due to smoking. "The benefits the FDA cites for this proposal are extraordinary," said Matthew L. Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. He added that for the proposal to have maximum impact, the FDA should reduce nicotine levels in all combustible tobacco products, not just cigarettes. (Healy, 3/15)
Politico: Trump’s FDA Weighs Nicotine Limits In Cigarettes
The nicotine rule is one of a number of tobacco-related regulations FDA is working on. The agency will soon seek comment on the role that flavors like menthol play in tobacco use, and to get feedback and data concerning the possible regulation of premium cigars. It’s also working to modernize its approach to the development and regulation of nicotine replacement products like gum and patches. (Karlin-Smith, 3/15)
The Hill: FDA Takes First Step In Drafting Rule To Cut Nicotine Levels In Cigarettes
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday took the first step in creating a new rule to reduce the level of nicotine allowed in cigarettes to nonaddictive levels. In an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking, FDA asked the public to submit comments over the next 90 days on the impact of a product standard for the maximum nicotine level in cigarettes. (Wheeler, 3/15)
