Federal health regulators made a groundbreaking decision Tuesday by approving the nation’s first fruit-flavored electronic cigarettes for commercial sale, representing a major departure from previous policy positions.
The Food and Drug Administration granted marketing approval to Los Angeles company Glas Inc for several flavored vaping pods, including Classic Menthol, Fresh Menthol, Gold and Sapphire varieties. The small manufacturer employs specialized technology designed to prevent underage users from accessing their devices.
“The FDA’s rigorous, scientific review of these products found that the applicant sufficiently demonstrated that Glas’s device access restriction technology, combined with FDA-required marketing restrictions, is expected to effectively mitigate the ability of youth to use the product,” the regulator said.
The approval comes as reports surfaced that President Trump criticized FDA Commissioner Marty Makary over the weekend for moving too slowly on flavored vaping product approvals, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Federal authorities have historically refused to license flavored vaping products, with the FDA maintaining that companies must provide substantial proof that flavored products benefit adult smokers while avoiding appeal to minors, particularly those resembling fruit or candy.
The agency has recently modified its stringent stance on flavored vaping devices following increased lobbying efforts from tobacco companies and growing political pressure to expand market access for these products.
This latest approval brings the total number of FDA-authorized e-cigarette products available in the United States to 45.
