Regulation of e-cigarettes, vaping devices and other heated tobacco products (HTPs) must remain with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and not be transferred to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in the Philippines because these products concern public health, according to the FDA.
The FDA made its position clear in a statement it released in support of the Department of Health (DOH)’s request for a presidential veto of the Vape Bill (Senate Bill No. 2239 and House Bill No. 9007), which transfers regulatory jurisdiction of the products to the DTI, according to PhilStar Global.
“It is the DOH, through the FDA, which bears the constitutional mandate to protect every Filipino’s right to health, through establishing effective regulatory systems,” the FDA statement read.
Contrary to the proposed measure, the FDA said vape products and HTPs must be considered as health products instead of consumer products.
“This is especially as such products are being marketed by the industry as an alternative to conventional cigarettes, with some even claiming or implying that these products as being safer or less harmful,” the FDA said.
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