FLER at APE

According to The Wall Street Journal, people familiar with the matter said President Trump has signed off on a plan to fire FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, though the plan is not yet final and could change. The report said Makary’s tenure has included clashes over vaping, abortion and drug policy, and that some senior administration officials view him as struggling to manage the agency.

ITGA said tobacco grower organizations from five Americas countries called for stronger regional cooperation and balanced regulation, warning that restrictive policies could pressure farmers and legal supply chains. The article also provides data on major tobacco-producing countries in the Americas.

In this contributed article to 2Firsts, Mumbai-based journalist and harm reduction advocate Samrat Chowdhery examines India’s tobacco transition from the perspective of agriculture, supply chains and regulation. As noted by 2Firsts, India offers a relevant case for understanding how new nicotine technologies may affect not only consumption, trade and policy, but also tobacco farming.

FDA Center for Tobacco Products Acting Director Bret Koplow issued a statement on May 7 outlining new steps to accelerate tobacco product premarket application review. The statement said CTP reduced the backlog of applications by approximately 70% in 2025 and that there is no longer a queue for PMTAs pending acceptance review.

AIR Limited announced on May 7, 2026, that it plans to open a new manufacturing facility of approximately 70,000 square feet in Stefanesti, Bucharest North, Romania. The facility is expected to begin operations by the first quarter of 2027. AIR said that once fully operational, the facility is expected to support more than 150 jobs and be capable of producing more than 4,000 tons of flavored shisha molasses each year.

According to an investigative report by Euromaidan Press, a Ukrainian English-language independent media outlet, Russian businessman Oleg Boyko has been sanctioned by Ukraine, Poland, Australia and Canada, but has not been added to the European Union’s sanctions list. The report alleges that Evapify, a Polish vape distributor with financial and personal ties to Boyko, holds a significant position in Poland’s disposable vape market.