By Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter<\/b><\/p>\n
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FRIDAY, July 19, 2024 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday authorized the sale of the country’s best-selling e-cigarette.<\/p>\n
The agency’s decision<\/a> only applies to several tobacco-flavored versions of the reusable product, sold as Vuse. In January 2023, the FDA rejected<\/a> R.J. Reynold’s application for its more popular menthol flavor, but the company has challenged that ruling in court<\/a>.<\/p>\n Last month, the FDA granted competitor Njoy the first authorization for a\u00a0menthol-flavored e-cigarette<\/a>. That vaping brand is controlled by\u00a0tobacco giant Altria.<\/p>\n Despite the Vuse authorization, the FDA stressed that e-cigarettes are far from safe.<\/p>\n All tobacco products are harmful and potentially addictive, the agency said in a new release announcing the decision. Those who do not use tobacco products, especially young people, should not start.<\/p>\n In its decision, the agency noted that tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes do not hold the same appeal among youth that fruit- and candy-flavored vaping products do.<\/p>\n “While FDA remains concerned about the risk of youth use of all e-cigarettes, youth are less likely to use tobacco-flavored e-cigarette products compared to other flavors,” the agency said. “According to the\u00a02023 National Youth Tobacco Survey<\/a><\/ins>, Vuse was among the most commonly reported brands used by middle and high school students currently using e-cigarette. However, only 6.4% of students who currently used e-cigarettes reported using tobacco-flavored products.”<\/p>\n To further discourage vaping among teens and adolescents, the FDA added that it has placed tough marketing restrictions on the Vuse products, to guard against youth access and exposure.<\/p>\n In the past year, Vuse made up 40% of U.S. vaping sales, the Associated Press<\/em> reported. Most sales are for Vuse menthol products, which remain available under a court order while Reynolds challenges the FDA’s menthol ruling.<\/p>\n Juul Labs now trails Vuse in the vaping market, accounting for less than a quarter of retail sales, the AP<\/em> reported. The company had to slash its marketing and promotions following legal settlements<\/a> with states, local governments and families that blamed the brand’s sleek e-cigarettes for hooking children on nicotine.<\/p>\n Some brands like Vuse have been sold in the United States for years, awaiting FDA action on their scientific applications, the AP<\/em> reported. The market also includes thousands of\u00a0fruit- and candy-flavored products from China\u00a0that are illegal but still sold in convenience stores and vape shops.<\/p>\n The FDA missed a self-imposed court deadline last month to wrap up its yearslong review of major vaping brands. Juul’s products remain under federal review, although the FDA recently rescinded a 2022 order that would have forced the products off the market<\/a>. That order never took effect because FDA regulators initially agreed to place it on hold following a legal challenge by Juul.<\/p>\n More than 26 million applications for vaping products have been rejected by the FDA, with only a handful of products authorized<\/a> to help smokers so far.<\/p>\n More information<\/strong><\/p>\n The CDC has more on vaping among youth<\/a>.<\/p>\n SOURCE: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, news release, July 18, 2024; Associated Press<\/em><\/p>\n