In Efforts To Halt Teen Vaping, A Miffed Gottlieb Describes ‘Disconnect’ Between Health Officials And E-Cigarette Makers
Even after Altria and Juul said they'll take extra efforts to prevent teens from getting addicted, outgoing FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb isn't convinced and called for a meeting with them last week. He told Bloomberg “The e-cigarette industry has been overly dismissive” and he's considering temporarily pulling pod-based nicotine products off the markets. Other FDA news looks at new strategies for HIV drug development.
Bloomberg:
Scott Gottlieb: FDA May Need To Pull Nicotine Vape Pods
With weeks to go in his tenure atop the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Scott Gottlieb squared off with two companies at the center of his efforts to halt a surge in teen vaping. Gottlieb, who plans to leave his post April 5, said at an event in Washington that he had a contentious meeting last week with executives from Marlboro maker Altria Group Inc. and Juul Labs Inc. Late last year, Altria took a $12.8 billion stake in Juul, maker of a popular vaping device, at the same time that the companies had promised to increase efforts to keep kids from getting hooked on e-cigarettes. (Edney, 3/19)
Modern Healthcare:
More HIV Drug Development Is Focus Of New FDA Policy
The Food and Drug Administration finalized two guidances to support drugmakers developing new versions of HIV antiretroviral medications, HHS Secretary Alex Azar said on Tuesday. Pledging to make eliminating the HIV epidemic a priority of his tenure, Azar said the FDA guidances focus on drugs to treat pediatric HIV infections as well as new long-acting forms of pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP. (Johnson, 3/19)
