FDA allows several more e-cig products to remain on market; decisions pending on products of several major makers

A newly approved product

The Food and Drug Administration is allowing several more tobacco-flavored electronic cigarette products to remain on the market, it said Thursday. "The agency authorized several tobacco-flavored vape pods and e-cigarette devices made by the e-cigarette brand Logic Technology Development," PoliticoPro reports.

FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said in a statement, "We know that there is a demand among adult smokers to use e-cigarette products to try to switch from more harmful combusted cigarettes, but millions of youth are using these products and getting addicted to nicotine. The balance of these issues was considered by the agency's career scientists when evaluating the potential marketing of e-cigarette products."

"Logic, owned by tobacco giant Japan Tobacco Inc., holds a large share of the e-cigarette market," PolitcoPro reports. "FDA, however, denied the company's applications for flavored products. It is still deciding the fate of Logic's menthol-flavored offerings."

FDA's announcement began "what is expected to be a period of intensified activity on the contentious issue of e-cigarettes," reports Laurie McGinley of The Washington Post. "The FDA decision seems likely to presage rulings on companies with the biggest market shares, including Juul, blu, Vuse and NJoy. Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, is retiring in early April, and speculation is widespread that he wants to issue decisions on the big companies before he leaves."