Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA's Efforts To Halt Epidemic Use Of E-Cigs Among Teens Get Full Support From HHS Secretary
CNBC: HHS Supports FDA's Proposed E-Cigarette Crackdown, HHS Chief Azar Says
Regulators aren't going to allow what they're calling an epidemic of e-cigarette use among teens become a "pathway to nicotine dependency," Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told CNBC on Friday. The e-cigarette craze has driven what's arguably the largest uptick in teen nicotine use in decades after years of driving cigarette smoking rates to record lows. Teens who would have never smoked cigarettes are happily inhaling fruity flavors, sometimes without realizing it is packed with nicotine, an addictive substance. (LaVito, 9/14)
Reuters: U.S. Health Secretary Backs Proposed FDA Crackdown On E-Cigarettes: CNBC
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said on Wednesday the agency was considering a ban on flavored e-cigarettes from Juul Labs and other companies as it grapples with an "epidemic" of youth e-cigarette use that threatened to create a new generation of nicotine addicts. (9/14)
Bloomberg: E-Cigarettes, Snus Get Wary Reception As Alternatives To Smoking
Makers of smoking alternatives hit some potentially major hurdles this week in their quest to create a rival to the almighty cigarette. While Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb views tobacco products as a progression of risks, with cigarettes being the most harmful, his agency and its outside advisers dealt possible setbacks to products that deliver nicotine without cancer-causing smoke. (Edney, 9/14)
San Francisco Chronicle: UCSF Gets $20 Million To Research Health Effects Of E-Cigarettes, Other Products
UCSF has won a $20 million federal grant to fund research into the health effects of new tobacco products such as electronic cigarettes, the use of which, especially among teenagers, is raising alarm among public health experts. The grant, which comes from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health, is the second round of federal funding that UCSF has received for this kind of research. (Allday, 9/17)
