The Food and Drug Administration approved the first menthol-flavored electronic cigarettes in the United States on Friday.
The FDA said it had authorized four e-cigarette products made by the vaping company Njoy. Two of the products are pre-filled pods used with an e-cigarette device, while the other two are disposable e-cigarettes.
The FDA’s decision to authorize the products was based on evidence showing that the products could provide some benefit to adult smokers.
“Based upon our rigorous scientific review, in this instance, the strength of evidence of benefits to adult smokers from completely switching to a less harmful product was sufficient to outweigh the risks to youth,” Matthew Farrelly, director of the Office of Science in the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, said in a statement.
In addition to the four menthol-flavored e-cigarette products approved Friday, the FDA has authorized 23 tobacco-flavored products and devices.
Its decision was met with criticism from anti-tobacco groups, who warn that the flavor of menthol is especially appealing to young people.
“The FDA’s decision … is deeply troubling given the extensive scientific evidence that menthol is a flavor that appeals to kids and the FDA’s repeated conclusions that flavored e-cigarettes, including menthol-flavored products, have driven youth e-cigarette use,” Yolanda Richardson, president and CEO of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said in a statement.
Richardson cited data from the 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey, which found that nearly a quarter of high school e-cigarette users nationwide use menthol-flavored e-cigarettes.
The decision comes two months after the Biden administration delayed its plan to ban menthol cigarettes.
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The FDA said it “remains concerned about the risk of youth use of all e-cigarettes.”
It added that each application is reviewed on a case-by-case basis and that the authorizations of the four Njoy products do not apply to any other menthol-flavored e-cigarette products.
