U.S. Reps. Debbie Wasserman (FL-23) Schultz and Diana DeGette (CO-01) are leading a call made by more than 40 members of Congress for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prioritize its efforts to protect youth from nicotine and other tobacco products as it reviews premarket tobacco applications (PMTAs) received for e-cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products.
As the FDA reviews the PMTAs for e-cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products, manufacturers are able to keep their products on the marketing while awaiting FDA review. The letter sent to the FDA calls for the agency to remove all flavored e-cigarettes from the market that are currently under FDA review and that applications be denied for any flavored e-cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products, in addition to marketing orders being denied for any e-cigarettes that poses an increased risk of youth initiation or addiction.
“Flavored e-cigarettes are putting a new generation of kids at risk of nicotine addiction and the serious health harms that result from tobacco use. And these products are widely available and popular with kids,” states the letter led by Reps. Schultz and DeGette to Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock. “Unfortunately, the vast majority of these tobacco products that are undergoing premarket review have already been on the market for several years with observable negative consequences for public health.”
