FDA regulations on eCigs

On April 25, 2014, FDA came out with first set of regulations that would ban the sale of electronic cigarettes to anyone under 18. Flavored products, online sales and any advertising are not restricted. 

Bonnie Herzog, an analyst at Wells Fargo, said the proposal is “positive for industry.” 

FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said that the proposal represented the first “foundational” step toward broader restrictions if scientific evidence shows they are needed to protect public health. That declaration worries some companies. “I think the proposal shows a good science-based reaction here from the FDA, but there is a lot we have to go through during the public comment period.”, said Jason Healy, president of Lorillard Inc.’s blu eCigs unit, which holds roughly 48% of the market. Lorillard, together with privately held NJOY and Logic Technology, accounts for an estimated 80% of the market. Other big tobacco companies, including Altria Group Inc. and Reynolds American Inc., are also entering the market. 

Michael Siegel, a professor of community health sciences at Boston University, said a ban on flavorings would have “devastated the industry, as the flavors are a key aspect of what makes these products competitive with tobacco cigarettes.” Similarly, a ban on all e-cigarette advertising “would have given tobacco cigarettes an unfair advantage in the marketplace,” he said. 

In the short term, the new rules would prohibit companies from distributing free e-cigarette samples, forbid vending machine sales except in adult-only venues and prohibit sales to minors. Companies would also be required to warn consumers that nicotine is addictive, but no other health warnings would be required. Read more from Journal Sentinel: http://www.jsonline.com/business/fda-proposes-new…