One of the nerdy, but very important, parts of the FDA tobacco product regulatory process is the list of “Hazardous and Potentially Hazardous Compounds” (HPHC) list that FDA released in 2012. This list contains 93 bad chemicals — mostly carcinogens — that FDA identified as important when assessing the risks of tobacco products. It hasContinue reading “FDA proposed updating its HPHC list in 2019; it needs to finish the job”
Category Archives: heated tobacco products
FDA proposed menthol ban in cigarettes is well done, except for the exceptions
On April 28, 2022, FDA released its proposed tobacco product standard prohibiting menthol cigarettes. The justification for prohibiting menthol as a characterizing flavor includes a comprehensive review of the effects of menthol on smoking, including why menthol promotes cigarette initiation and how it makes it harder to quit smoking. In addition to summarizing the behavioralContinue reading “FDA proposed menthol ban in cigarettes is well done, except for the exceptions”
APHA rapidly remedies error it made when accepting FSFW ad for AJPH
When I checked my email last Friday morning (April 15, 2022), I found a robust email conversation about the fact that the American Journal of Public Health, published by the American Public Health Association, featured an add from Philip Morris International’s Foundation for a Smokefree World soliciting grant proposals (examples above and below). The FSFWContinue reading “APHA rapidly remedies error it made when accepting FSFW ad for AJPH”
FDA drags its feet on releasing scientific justification for authorizing Logic e-cigs and HTP
As I described before, FDA broke precedent by not releasing the full Technical Project Lead (TPL) reports summarizing its positive decisions on 8 electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) products made by Logic Technologies. Instead, it just released 4 of the 56 pages, most of which constituted uninformative boilerplate. There is no excuse for withholding thisContinue reading “FDA drags its feet on releasing scientific justification for authorizing Logic e-cigs and HTP”
Why is FDA withholding details of its approval for 8 Logic e-cigs and HTP?
In the past, when FDA announced that it was authorizing the sale of new products through the Premarket Tobacco Authorization process (PMTA), they released a detailed scientific summary of the rationale behind their decision known as the Technical Project Lead (TPL) report. These documents were released on the FDA web page announcing the positive decisions.Continue reading “Why is FDA withholding details of its approval for 8 Logic e-cigs and HTP?”
Flavored tobacco sales bans reduce tobacco advertising: An added benefit
The evidence that comprehensive bans on the sale of flavored tobacco products work continues to grow. And the latest study by Louisa Holmes, Lauren Lempert and Pam Ling adds a new benefit: There is less tobacco product advertising in cities that have flavor bans. Their paper, Flavored Tobacco Sales Restrictions Reduce Tobacco Product Availability andContinue reading “Flavored tobacco sales bans reduce tobacco advertising: An added benefit”
New report highlights marketing of synthetic and “non-tobacco” nicotine products
Just as Congress is moving toward giving FDA explicit authority over non-tobacco nicotine products, Rob Jackler’s group at Stanford released a new report, “Marketing of ‘Tobacco-Free’ and ‘Synthetic Nicotine’ Products,” that details how these products are being promoted. In 2009 Congress gave the FDA jurisdiction over consumer products “made or derived from tobacco,” which includesContinue reading “New report highlights marketing of synthetic and “non-tobacco” nicotine products”
Now the usual “international experts” have shown up supporting industry efforts to weaken regulation of e-cigs and HTP in the Philippines
Under pressure from industry, the Philippine Congress has passed a retrograde bill that would roll back regulation of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products. Medical and health groups, as well as the government’s own Department of Health, are urging President Rodrigo R. Duterte to veto the bill, known as the Vaporized Nicotine Products Regulation Act. TheContinue reading “Now the usual “international experts” have shown up supporting industry efforts to weaken regulation of e-cigs and HTP in the Philippines”
Tobacco control policies are “softening” smokers
The desire to reach “hard core” smokers, typically characterized as smokers who “cannot or will not quit,” is one of the core justifications for e-cigarettes and other new alternative tobacco products are part of the industry’s “harm reduction” agenda. Now Miranda Harris and her Australian colleagues have produced a systematic review debunking the hardening hypothesisContinue reading “Tobacco control policies are “softening” smokers”
Altria’s electronic age verification system is used to gather consumer data and promote products
The tobacco companies, including e-cig company Juul, tout their electronic age verification technology as an effective way to reduce youth use and argue against stricter regulation. I have long been concerned that this technology would also allow the companies to collect marketing information that couple be used to promote their products the second that theyContinue reading “Altria’s electronic age verification system is used to gather consumer data and promote products”