By Samantha Jones-
A vaping company has been blocked from selling e-cigarettes in the U.S after it was found to have played a “disproportionate role in the rise of youth vaping”.
The ruling was made by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after the firm, Juul Labs Inc, submitted scientific and health data regarding its nicotine products for review.
The data showed a “lack of sufficient evidence” that Juul’s products provided a net benefit to public health.
Vaping is said to cause the craving of a smoke and lead to withdrawal symptoms if the crave is ignored.
FDA commissioner Robert Califf said in a statement: “We recognise these make up a significant part of the available products and many have played a disproportionate role in the rise in youth vaping.”
The decision has been branded a potentially fatal blow for the San Francisco-based firm. Teenage e-cigarette use accelerated as Juul began to gain popularity in 2017 and 2018, a US federal survey found.
An estimated 27.5% of high school students vaped in 2019 compared to 11.7% in 2017
However, the number dropped to 11.3% in 2021 according to the research, carried out for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The most recent data on youth e-cigarette use cannot be compared to earlier years due to changes in how the survey was conducted during the COVID pandemic, researchers said.
Juul, together with other e-cigarette brands – including Blu, owned by Imperial Brands Plc, and British American Tobacco Plc’s Vuse – were given a deadline of September 2020 to submit applications to the FDA.
The health agency then had to judge whether each product encouraged smokers to quit.
How much the product helped people stub out their habit was weighed against potential health damage to new e-cigarette users who had never smoked – including teenagers.
Whilst Juul products have been marketed as an effective tool to help smokers quit, the health impacts on new users have been cause for concern as many young people have become incredibly ill after using vapes.
The FDA has shown support for other vape companies that aren’t marketing their products to younger people, though their denial of Juul may change how regulators view all e-cigarettes.
Health officials have long suspected that Juul played a role in attracting young, non-smokers to vaping. As a result, the FDA first banned the sale of fruity and sweet flavors of Juul’s e-cigarettes, with the hopes of deterring minors from using the products.
Some young people in the US have even died after vaping caused irreparable damage to their lungs.
The FDA has shown support for other vape companies that aren’t marketing their products to younger people, though their denial of Juul may change how regulators view all e-cigarettes.
Health officials have long suspected that Juul played a role in attracting young, non-smokers to vaping. As a result, the FDA first banned the sale of fruity and sweet flavors of Juul’s e-cigarettes, with the hopes of deterring minors from using the products.
Now, all of Juul Lab’s products currently marketed in the US will be taken off the shelves.
The order does not prevent consumers from possessing or using Juul products.
On Wednesday, when news of the ban was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, shares of Marlboro-maker Altra, which owns 35% stake in Juul, fell more than 8% in trading.