Heart experts concerned after Trump administration authorizes fruit-flavored e-cigarettes
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the marketing of multiple fruit-flavored e-cigarettes.
This is the first time the FDA has authorized market access for non-tobacco, non-menthol electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), which are commonly referred to as vapes. Four different flavors have been authorized, and each one includes an e-liquid pod containing 50 mg/ml of tobacco-derived nicotine.
The American College of Cardiology (ACC), a leading U.S. cardiovascular health society, shared its perspective on the FDA’s decision in a brief statement. The group called this authorization an “unprecedented step” that “threatens previous progress made to limit flavored e-cigarette use, particularly among youth.”
“The ACC maintains that research has shown a link between e-cigarettes and heart attack and coronary artery disease,” the group wrote. “E-cigarette use and nicotine addiction has also been shown to lead to increased risk of tobacco use, which is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the U.S.”
According to Glas, the Los Angeles-based company that manufactures these products, they can play “an important role in helping adult smokers move away from combustible cigarettes.”
Authorized products feature ‘access restriction technology’
Glas also emphasized that these ENDS include technology that only allows adults to use them. The FDA detailed this technology at length in its announcement about the authorization.
“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 agency said. “The technology requires the user to verify their age and identity with a government-issued ID and pair the device with a smartphone via Bluetooth. Following verification, the device will not operate if separated from the phone. The app also conducts random biometric check-ins to periodically confirm the registered user is the one using the device.”
“By helping to prevent youth use, device access restrictions are a potential game changer,” Bret Koplow, PhD, acting director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, added in a statement.
Michael has more than 19 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.