Tobacco Companies Line Up to Reintroduce Vape Flavors in U.S.
Tobacco Companies Line Up to Reintroduce Vape Flavors in U.S.
(Bloomberg) -- British American Tobacco Plc and other companies said they’re preparing applications to reintroduce sales of flavored vapes after the Trump administration imposed temporary restrictions on the products.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that it would take fruit and mint flavors sold in cartridge vaping systems off the market as a response to the epidemic of underage vaping. However, the products may eventually be sold again if manufacturers can show they aren’t targeting younger consumers.
“This regulatory clarity is a welcome step towards returning the U.S. vapor market to stability,” BAT Chief Executive Officer Jack Bowles said Friday in a statement.
Flavors are a key battleground among e-cigarette makers, accounting for about 80% of the vaping products sold in the U.S. last year, according to Morgan Stanley analyst Pamela Kaufman. The temporary and partial nature of the ban sparked criticism from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids that the FDA isn’t doing enough to prevent teen vaping.
“This policy will not stop the youth e-cigarette epidemic,” said Mike Myers, the advocacy group’s president, in a statement. “The administration’s failure to protect our kids makes it even more critical that Congress, states and cities do so by quickly prohibiting the sale of all flavored e-cigarettes.”
Imperial Brands Plc, the maker of Myblu e-cigarettes, shares the FDA’s goal of preventing youth access to vaping products and plans to submit applications for its flavored products ahead of the May deadline, according to Simon Evans, a spokesman.
BAT said it’s confident that all Vuse vapor products sold by its U.S. unit Reynolds American will be “shown to be appropriate for the protection of public health.” BAT shares rose as much as 2.3% in London, while Imperial Brands gained as much as 1.4%.
The FDA said Thursday it will allow flavored e-liquids to continue to be sold for refillable open-tank devices commonly available in vape shops.
The announcement marks the culmination of a polarizing saga that pitted public-health advocates against political operatives and divided big and small players in a still-emerging industry.
In September, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar suggested that the Trump administration would remove almost all flavored vaping products from the marketplace. But after months of wrangling behind the scenes and in public, industry advocates appear to have had an impact on the White House.
“Responsibly manufactured and marketed flavored vapor products provide an important option for adult smokers and a potential off-ramp from combustible products,” Japan Tobacco Inc. said in a statement.
Michael R. Bloomberg, founder and majority owner of Bloomberg News parent Bloomberg LP, has campaigned and given money in support of a nationwide ban on flavored e-cigarettes and tobacco.
--With assistance from Lisa Pham.
To contact the reporter on this story: Thomas Mulier in Geneva at tmulier@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Eric Pfanner at epfanner1@bloomberg.net, Thomas Mulier
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