<mediadc-video-embed data-state="{"cms.site.owner":{"_ref":"00000161-3486-d333-a9e9-76c6fbf30000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b93390000"},"cms.content.publishDate":1655996381297,"cms.content.publishUser":{"_ref":"00000162-07af-d172-a563-4fefeeac0001","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"cms.content.updateDate":1655996381297,"cms.content.updateUser":{"_ref":"00000162-07af-d172-a563-4fefeeac0001","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"rawHtml":"
var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_55919773", "obj": {"id":"27789","width":"16","height":"9","video":"1038247"} }); ","_id":"00000181-9113-df44-ad8b-d37b6d300000","_type":"2f5a8339-a89a-3738-9cd2-3ddf0c8da574"}”>Video EmbedThe Food and Drug Administration on Thursday ordered Juul Labs to pull its vaping products off shelves, a sweeping ban that will affect millions of vapers.
The agency said it was issuing the ban after determining, in reviewing Juul’s premarket application for advertising tobacco products, that the company had not produced evidence to show that the proprietary e-liquid pods would not hurt public health. The agency said it had not received evidence to show an immediate hazard associated with using Juul products but that the company provided “insufficient evidence to assess the potential toxicological risks of using the JUUL products.”
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TO PROPOSE CUTS TO NICOTINE CONTENT IN TOBACCO PRODUCTS
“Today’s action is further progress on the FDA’s commitment to ensuring that all e-cigarette and electronic nicotine delivery system products currently being marketed to consumers meet our public health standards,” FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said. “The agency has dedicated significant resources to review products from the companies that account for most of the U.S. market. We recognize these make up a significant part of the available products and many have played a disproportionate role in the rise in youth vaping.”
The FDA directed the company to stop selling and distributing its products immediately. Those that are already on the U.S. market must be removed or the company risks enforcement action.
The decision to pull Juul products comes after a two-year review of the company’s application to keep its tobacco- and menthol-flavored products in the U.S. market. The latest blow to the company comes after years of scrutiny into its role in igniting the teenage vaping epidemic. Opponents criticized Juul for an advertising campaign featuring models puffing on the sleek devices that resemble flash drives. But in 2019, the company announced a reset amid a flurry of lawsuits alleging that it hooked youth with its fruit and dessert flavored pods. All flavors with the exception of menthol and tobacco were pulled from shelves, and advertising campaigns were halted.
Juul said on Thursday, “We respectfully disagree with the FDA’s findings and decision,” which the company promised to challenge.
“In our applications, which we submitted over two years ago, we believe that we appropriately characterized the toxicological profile of JUUL products, including comparisons to combustible cigarettes and other vapor products, and believe this data, along with the totality of the evidence, meets the statutory standard of being ‘appropriate for the protection of the public health,'” said Joe Murillo, chief regulatory officer at Juul Labs.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“This action by FDA reflects the agency’s steadfast commitment to carefully evaluating the science to ensure that only those products meeting its rigorous public health standards are granted marketing authorization. FDA has taken the proper steps to protect the health of all Americans,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said.
Califf has overseen an aggressive campaign by the agency to crack down on the tobacco industry. The FDA intends to regulate the levels of highly addictive nicotine allowed in cigarettes and cigars, a major regulatory step for the agency that did not gain the authority to police the tobacco industry until 2009. In April, the FDA unveiled a plan for banning the sale of menthol cigarettes and cigars.
