A vaping company has been blocked from selling e-cigarettes in the U.S. after it was discovered it had played a “disproportionate role in the rise of juvenile smoking.”
The decision was made by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after the company, Juul Labs Inc., submitted scientific and health data on its nicotine products for review.
The data, gathered for nearly two years, showed a “lack of sufficient evidence” that Juul’s products provided a net benefit to public health.
FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said in a statement, “We recognize that they are an important part of the products available and many have played a disproportionate role in increasing youth vaping.”
The decision has been described as a potentially fatal blow to the San Francisco-based company.
The use of e-cigarettes among teens accelerated as Juul began to gain popularity in 2017 and 2018, a U.S. federal survey found.
About 27.5% of high school students vaporized in 2019 compared to 11.7% in 2017.
However, the figure dropped to 11.3% in 2021 according to research, conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But the latest data on the use of e-cigarettes for young people cannot be compared to previous years due to changes in the way the survey was conducted during the COVID pandemic, the researchers said.
Juul, along with other e-cigarette brands, including Blu, owned by Imperial Brands Plc, and Vuse of British American Tobacco Plc, received a September 2020 deadline to file applications with the FDA.
The health agency had to judge whether each product encouraged smokers to quit.
The extent to which the product helped people eliminate their habit was compared to the potential harm to the health of new e-cigarette users who had never smoked, including teenagers.
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Image: Vaporization devices, including one produced by Juul, center photo Photo: AP
Juul has not yet responded to requests for comment, but U.S. reports suggest he is likely to appeal the decision.
Electronic cigarette manufacturers sell products in the US for years without official FDA authorization.
The FDA banned all flavors except tobacco and menthol for cartridge-based e-cigarettes, including those produced by Juul, in 2020.
Juul withdrew all other flavors, including mint and mango, after regulations tightened and after a shout from anti-tobacco activists.
The FDA’s decision caused the shares of Altria Group, which has a 35% stake in Juul, to fall 9%.
It comes when the administration of President Joe Biden promised to find alternatives to help people quit smoking to reduce preventable cancer deaths.
The White House has this week put forward proposals for a rule on a maximum level of nicotine in cigarettes and other tobacco products to make them less addictive.