Panel warns FDA’s beleaguered tobacco unit lacks direction
A new report criticizes the Food and Drug Administration’s efforts to oversee the tobacco industry, including traditional cigarettes and vaping products
WASHINGTON (AP) — The lack of clear direction and priorities at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's tobacco division has hampered its ability to regulate electronic cigarettes and other products, according to an expert panel assembled to examine problems at the agency.
A blistering report released Monday describes the FDA's tobacco program as “reactive and overwhelmed,” in its effort to oversee both traditional tobacco products and a sprawling market of largely unauthorized electronic cigarettes. The experts say FDA’s inconsistent approach to regulation is at least partially to blame for the spread of thousands of e-cigarette varieties that remain popular among teenagers.
The assessment comes from a panel of experts convened by the Reagan-Udall Foundation, a non-profit that works on FDA issues.
FDA chief Dr. Robert Califf commissioned separate reviews of the agency’s tobacco and food programs over the summer, after ongoing controversies in both units raised questions about his leadership at the FDA.
