The FDA Must Continue To Regulate E-Cigarettes To Protect Children

Last year, after nearly a decade of inaction, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made significant advancements in the regulation of e-cigarettes. Through its “deeming regulation,” the agency required that manufacturers provide information for the assessment of public health risks of new tobacco products, defined as products introduced to the market after February 15, 2007 (referred to as the “grandfather date”). However, on July 28, 2017, the FDA announced that the office would delay the enforcement of the deeming regulation by several years, which would prohibit the FDA from exercising its appropriate authority over e-cigarettes currently on the market. The FDA’s e-cigarette deeming regulation was an important step to help the agency catch up with dramatic shifts in the marketplace, putting into place rules that protect children, including a ban on sales to minors, and giving adults information they need to make informed decisions by reining in false and unverified health claims. Instead, the changes announced last month to delay enforcement would harm child, adolescent, and public health, and adversely affect the FDA’s charge to protect consumers and minimize risk associated with these previously unregulated and harmful tobacco products. As practicing pediatricians and tobacco control researchers, we are uniquely positioned to advocate for the health of children and their families, helping protect them from the harms of tobacco and empowering them to live to...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - Category: Health Management Authors: Tags: Featured Population Health Public Health deeming regulations e-cigarettes secondhand smoke Source Type: blogs