FDA authorizes e-cigarette sale

E-cigarettes first appeared on the market in 2007 as an alternative to smoking, but the industry has had little oversight since then. On Tuesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized R.J. Reynolds to legally sell the Vuse Solo e-cigarette, citing data from the company that showed it helped smokers reduce cigarette intake. Although the FDA declared teen vaping an epidemic in 2018, the agency said the benefits of the Vuse device for smokers outweigh the risk of young people getting addicted to it. The FDA rejected 10 requests from the company for flavored cartridges, allowing only tobacco-flavored items since they are less appealing to young people.

Does this mean vaping is safe? The FDA Center for Tobacco Products director clearly warned that authorization for sale does not mean the product is FDA-approved. He said only smokers should use e-cigarettes and only for the purposes of quitting smoking. The FDA will monitor Vuse’s marketing and can withdraw authorization if non-smokers and young people start buying the product. Vuse is the second most popular vaping brand behind Juul, which is also awaiting the FDA’s ruling on its products.

Dig deeper: From the archives, listen to Anna Johansen Brown’s report on teen vaping.