FDA Moves Up New E-Cigarette, Cigar Regulations

In an ongoing effort to better protect minors from risks posed by combustible inhalant products, the FDA announced Wednesday that it is looking to end the compliance policies that currently apply to flavored e-cigarettes and cigars.

Why It’s Important

The FDA said it's advancing a vision of a world where combustible cigarettes no longer create or contribute to addiction — and better protecting users from tobacco-related disease and death.

What’s Next?

The FDA’s overall ambition continues to be designing a policy blueprint for safer tobacco-related products for users. This puts nicotine at the center of regulatory efforts. The recent epidemic surge in e-cigarette use by youth has threatened the progress made by the FDA to reduce conventional smoking in youths, the federal agency said. 

The recommendations and projections outlined in the FDA's draft compliance policy include: 

• An expectation that some flavored e-cigarette products will no longer be sold at all.
• An expectation hat other flavored e-cigarette products that continue to be sold will be sold in a manner that prevents youth access. Manufacturers would have to seek premarket authorization for the products from the FDA by 2021. 
• An expectation that some flavored cigars will no longer be sold.

Tobacco stocks were trading as follows at the time of publication Wednesday: 

• Altria Group Inc MO was up .54 percent at $56.04. The company recently took a 35-percent stake in vape company Juul Labs. 
• Phillip Morris International Inc PM was up .43 percent at $89.14. 
• British American Tobacco PLC BTI was down 2.05 percent at $39.40. 

Related Links:

Gottlieb's Departure Creates Uncertainty For Tobacco, Biopharma, Cannabis Industries

Analysts Weigh in On FDA’s Position on E-Cigarettes