Altria to Halt Sales of Flavored E-Liquids

As the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers banning flavoured e-liquids, Altria, the parent company of Philip Morris USA and maker of Marlboro cigarettes, is halting the sales of flavours as it awaits the FDA’s verdict.

Diane Caruana

October 27, 2018

Last Thursday Altria, said that in a meeting with FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb, the two parties discussed “actions that could be taken”, following which it was decided that whilst waiting for the agency’s verdict, the tobacco giant would stop selling the following items:

MarkTen Elite pod-based products.
Apex by MarkTen pod-based products.
All favored variants of MarkTen and Green Smoke “cig-a-like products” except tobacco, menthol and mint varieties.

If e-cig businesses fail to prove that they can keep nicotine-containing products out of the hands of minors, the FDA may ban candy-like flavors, such as bubble gum and crème brûlée, that may be particularly appealing to teens.

Following numerous alarming media reports claiming that vaping is addicting a whole generation of youth on nicotine, the FDA has been pressured to crackdown on e-cigarette companies. In September the agency issued more than 1,000 warning letters to U.S. retailers and manufacturers of e-cigarettes, amongst which Juul, in what the agency has called “the largest coordinated enforcement effort in the FDA’s history.”

In the letters, the agency demanded that these companies present proof that they can keep the nicotine-containing products out of the hands of minors, within 60 days. Should they fail to do so, the FDA may ban candy-like flavors, such as bubble gum and crème brûlée, that may be particularly appealing to this age group.

Pressures on the FDA

On the other hand, earlier this month, the American Medical Association (AMA) together with several other organizations wrote in support of a lawsuit that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and others had filed against the FDA, for a delay in regulating e-cigarettes.

The lawsuit against the FDA was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland earlier this year. “It is illegal, unreasonable and devastating for the public health for the FDA to postpone its oversight obligations any further,” said the AMA and others in an amicus brief.

The success witnessed where e-cigs are endorsed

In the meantime, while everyone in the US is busy demonizing vaping, earlier this year Public Health England (PHE), released findings from an e-cigarette review conducted by leading independent tobacco experts, which updated the organization’s 2015 vaping report, confirming that vaping is at least 95% safer than smoking.

The PHE is renowned for being actively involved in campaigning for the use of e-cigarettes as smoking cessation tools. In fact following the release of a 2015 report, the organization had even issued guidelines for employers urging them to support vapers at their workplaces. As a result of this stance, the UK is reporting the lowest number of smokers ever recorded and the second lowest smoking rates in Europe.

Read Further: USA Today