Apparently this information didn’t make it into the forum late this month. Reuters reports that the White House stripped a portion of the new Deeming Regulation that would have placed a ban on flavored e-cigarettes.
A White House office deleted language in a recently introduced tobacco regulation that would have removed flavored e-cigarettes from the market until they had been authorized by the Food and Drug Administration, an edited version of the document shows….
…The OMB deleted both the FDA’s planned policy and the rationale for the policy.
A White House spokeswoman, Emily Cain, said the OMB “does not comment on changes made during the interagency review process.” The FDA also does not comment, FDA spokesman Michael Felberbaum said. (Source)
While the exact process for PMTA applications is vague at the moment, this was at least a small victory for the industry.
Proponents of e-cigarettes say the products can help people quit smoking and that flavors are a crucial element of what makes them attractive to adults seeking to quit. The FDA said in its original rule that evidence supporting such claims “is thus far largely anecdotal.”
Anecdotal.. Stop by the Vapor Talk Forum, ECF or any Vape Event and you’ll find plenty of case studies in which many a users have successfully fled traditional tobacco. (myself included) I find this particularly phrase interesting when the FDA has little bases other than it’s own agenda against the e-cigarette industry. I’m not saying some regulations need to be put in place, but this whole blanket ban is completely and utterly uncalled for. Alas however, it will benifit the few companies who have the money and power to pass through these PMTA applications. Essentially, it creates a government imposed monopoly.