Renault Tobacco petitions FDA for e-cigarette regulations

On February 6th, the parent company of Vuse, Reynolds American Inc., filed a citizen petition urging the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to establish mandatory regulations regarding the issue of illicit sales of disposable e-cigarette products.

On February 8th, the FDA released this information on Regulations.gov in order to solicit public comments.

Source of the image: Regulations.gov

Renova Tobacco stated in a petition, "As known by the FDA, users of electronic cigarette products in the United States have increasingly favored disposable options. A new policy specifically targeting these illegally marketed disposable electronic cigarette products is now needed to better protect public health.

Renovo Tobacco is requesting that the FDA prioritize the following areas for enforcement.

Any flavored disposable electronic cigarette (excluding tobacco or mint-flavored products); any disposable electronic cigarette containing nicotine from any source outside of tobacco that has not received pre-market authorization; any disposable electronic cigarette containing nicotine from tobacco that was not on the market as of August 8th, 2016, or for which the manufacturer did not submit a PMTA by September 9th, 2020, or did submit a PMTA but was denied and not challenged in court; any disposable electronic cigarette for which the manufacturer did not (or failed to) take adequate measures to prevent underage access; any disposable electronic cigarette marketed towards minors or that may promote use by minors.

It has been reported that RJ Reynolds Vapor Co. will no longer sell disposable e-cigarettes or other e-cigarette products with flavors other than tobacco or menthol. This decision follows the approval by the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) marketing refusal order (MDO) for two RJ Reynolds Vapor Co. mint-flavored pods.

Renovo Tobacco stated in regards to its expected enforcement priorities that 'such policies will remedy existing loopholes in the FDA's current tobacco enforcement efforts, particularly concerning youth-related issues.'

Reference:

1. Citizen Petition.