For Immediate Release
July 28, 2017
Media Contact:
press@vaportechnology.org
THE VTA’s RESPONSE TO FDA ANNOUNCEMENT ON ALTERING POLICIES TO EMBRACE SCIENCE-BASED REGULATION WASHINGTON, DC –
Today, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb and Center for Tobacco Products Director Mitch Zeller announced that FDA is implementing regulatory changes to“ensure that the FDA has the proper scientific and regulatory foundation to efficiently and effectively implement” the Tobacco Control Act and, in doing so, granted a four-year extensionof the deadline for Pre-market Tobacco applications for Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems(ENDS) products until August 8, 2022. Following is a statement by Tony Abboud, VTA’s Executive Director.
“This decision is a victory for science-based regulation and for public health. By recognizing that U.S. policies need to evolve to the current state of science which demonstrates that ENDS products are at least 95% safer than combustible cigarettes, FDA is taking a big step forward in protecting public health by acknowledging for the first time that ENDS are a harm reduction
product and need to be regulated as such. By delaying the deadline for compliance for Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems, FDA has also recognized that the current regulations have halted the
kind of technological innovation that is key to ending this country’s reliance on combustible cigarettes, and that we need to implement clear and meaningful regulations that strike the right
balance between consumer protection and fostering innovation.
“Much like in the United Kingdom, our government needs to embrace and promote the promiseof vapor products which, according to the most recent research, are very effective tools in helping
addicted smokers quit. For example, just this week, yet another U.S. NIH-funded study conducted by University of California researchers concluded that ENDS products play a large role in helping addicted smokers quit smoking cigarettes. (Read here: http://www.bmj.com/content/358/bmj.j3262)
“Since May 2016 when the Deeming Regulation was published, VTA has been pushing for a rational set of regulations on ENDS products that would be based on science, rather than fear. In
addition, we have been advocating for a pause in the current regulations to allow for a more thoughtful, science-based regulatory policy to take root. Today’s decision by FDA is the right
thing for the country and in the best interest of public health, and we commend Commissioner Gottlieb and his staff for putting politics aside and implementing fact-based policies that are in the best interest of the country.
“VTA is prepared to work closely with FDA and other stakeholders to ensure that we develop a set of regulations that protect consumers, promote public health and protect the small and midsized businesses that are the backbone of the vapor industry.”
To learn more about the Vapor Technology Association (VTA), visit www.vaportechnology.org .
The Vapor Technology Association represents the manufacturers, wholesalers, small business owners and entrepreneurs who have developed innovative and quality vapor
products, providing adult consumers with a better alternative to traditional combustible products. VTA and its members are leaders in the vapor community, promoting small
businesses and job growth, responsible public policies and regulations, and strong industry standards.
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