Juul Illegally Claimed That Its Products Were Safer than Cigarettes, FDA Says
Juul illegally marketed its e-cigarettes as less harmful than tobacco cigarettes, and must find a way to correct that violation, according to a warning letter from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
E-cigarettes like Juuls, which heat liquid nicotine instead of burning tobacco, are thought to be less dangerous than cigarettes because they produce fewer cancer-causing chemicals. But “regardless of where products like e-cigarettes fall on the continuum of tobacco product risk, the law is clear that, before marketing tobacco products for reduced risk, companies must demonstrate with scientific evidence that their specific product does in fact pose less risk or is less harmful,” Acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Ned Sharpless said in a statement Monday. “JUUL has ignored the law, and very concerningly, has made some of these statements in school to our nation’s youth.”
E-cigarettes, including the ones made by Juul, are not currently FDA-approved. Juul has until spring 2020 to apply for approval as a new tobacco product.
“We are reviewing the letters and will fully cooperate,” a Juul spokesperson told TIME. The letter requires Juul to submit a plan of correction within 15 business days. If it fails to comply with FDA policy, the agency could resort to fines or injunctions against the company.
The warning letter cites several accusations made in a July Congressional hearing relating to Juul—among them, the allegation that a Juul repr...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Jamie Ducharme Tags: Uncategorized onetime public health Source Type: news
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