Category: PMTA

  • U.S. FDA has Made Decisions on Over 99 Percent of PMTAs

    U.S. FDA has Made Decisions on Over 99 Percent of PMTAs

    fda

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today stated it has made determinations on more than 99 percent of the nearly 26 million deemed tobacco products for which premarket tobacco products applications (PMTAs) were submitted. The agency has said previously that reviews for some of the most popular vaping products may take until the end of the year.

    The FDA also announced it issued a refuse-to-accept (RTA) letter on Feb. 21, to one applicant notifying a company that their PMTAs, which are associated with approximately 17 million individual tobacco products, do not meet the acceptance requirements outlined in FDA’s regulations.

    “The applications were for a grouped submission of e-liquids in varying size, nicotine strength, and flavor combinations, each of which was treated as an individual product application according to existing premarket review processes,” the FDA wrote in a statement.

    The agency’s overall determinations include authorizing 23 new e-cigarette products and devices, and issuing refuse to accept (RTA) letters, refuse to file letters, or marketing denial orders for millions of products.

    The data includes determinations on applications for nearly 6.7 million products received by the Sept. 9, 2020, deadline, more than 18 million products received after the Sept. 9 deadline, and applications for nearly 1 million non-tobacco nicotine products submitted by May 14, 2022, in accordance with the new federal law passed in April 2022.

    Under a federal court order, manufacturers of deemed new tobacco products that were on the market as of the deeming rule’s effective date (Aug. 8, 2016) were required to submit premarket review applications by Sept. 9, 2020.

  • U.S. FDA Files First Civil Money Penalties for Illicit Sales

    U.S. FDA Files First Civil Money Penalties for Illicit Sales

    Credit: VetKit

    Some manufacturers of e-liquids could soon be paying nearly $20,000 per violation for selling vaping products without approval. Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it has filed civil money penalty (CMP) complaints against four tobacco product manufacturers for manufacturing and selling e-liquids without marketing authorization.

    This marks the first time the regulatory agency has filed CMP complaints against tobacco product manufacturers to enforce the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act’s premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) process.

    The FDA previously warned each of the companies that, by making and selling their e-liquids without marketing authorization from the FDA, they were in violation of the FDA’s PMTA requirements and that failure to correct these violations could lead to enforcement action, such as a CMP, according to a press release.

    Despite the agency’s warning, the companies continue to make and sell their unauthorized e-liquids to consumers.

    “Holding manufacturers accountable for making or selling illegal tobacco products is a top priority for the FDA,” said Brian King, Ph.D., M.P.H., director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products. “We are prepared to use the full scope of our authorities to enforce the law—especially against those who have continued to violate the law after being warned by the agency.”

    As of Feb. 21, the FDA has filed CMP complaints against the following four manufacturers:

    • BAM Group LLC doing business as VapEscape
    • Great American Vapes LLC doing business as Great American Vapes
    • The Vapor Corner Inc. doing business as Vapor Corner Inc., The Vapor Corner, and Vapor Corner
    • 13 Vapor Co. LLC doing business as 13 Vapor

    Currently, under the FD&C Act, the maximum CMP amount is $19,192 for a single violation relating to tobacco products. The FDA typically seeks the statutory maximum allowed by law and is doing so in these four cases.

    The companies the FDA has filed CMP complaints against can pay the penalty, enter into a settlement agreement, request an extension of time to file an answer to the complaint, or file an answer and request a hearing. Companies that do not take action within 30 days after receiving the complaint risk a default order imposing the full penalty amount.

    “These latest enforcement activities are part of a comprehensive approach to actively identify violations and to deter illegal conduct,” said King. “These actions should be a wakeup call that all tobacco product manufacturers—big or small—are required to obey the law.”    

    Manufacturers that continue to violate the law risk subsequent enforcement, according to the FDA. In addition to CMPs, the agency also has the authority to take other enforcement action, as appropriate, including seizures, injunctions, and criminal prosecutions.

  • Status Report Confirms FDA Time Changes to PMTAs

    Status Report Confirms FDA Time Changes to PMTAs

    Credit: Fizkes

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has submitted a new timeline for its expected finish to the review of premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) in a court-mandated status report. As previously reported by Vapor Voice, the agency doesn’t expect to complete PMTAs for the most popular vaping products until the end of the year.

    In prior status reports, the FDA indicated that it expected to finalize actions on all covered applications by June 30, 2023. Filed with the Maryland Federal District Court on Jan. 24, 2023, the agency’s fourth report states that it now expects to have taken action on PMTAs as follows:

    • 52 percent of Covered Applications by March 31, 2023
    • 53 percent of Covered Applications by June 30, 2023
    • 55 percent of Covered Applications by Sept. 30, 2023
    • 100 percent of Covered Applications by Dec. 31, 2023

    The FDA is expected to give its next status update to the court on April 24.

    The FDA is under a Maryland Federal District Court order to file regular status reports on the agency’s review of PMTAs. The court case that ended in a court-imposed deadline for the FDA was filed by health groups seeking a timeline for the review of the PMTAs that were filed with the agency by Sept. 9, 2020.

    In the order requiring the FDA to submit status reports, the Maryland court stated that covered applications are limited to applications for products that are sold under the brand names JUUL, Vuse, NJOY, Logic, Blu, SMOK, Suorin or Puff Bar. Additionally, any product with a reach of 2 percent or more of total “Retail Dollar Sales” in Nielsen’s Total E-Cig Market & Players or Disposable E-Cig Market & Players’ reports.

    The original completion date was Sept. 9, 2021, however, the FDA was unable to meet it due to the extremely large number of PMTAs filed by manufacturers.

    The most recent delay is partially being caused by ongoing litigation and by the agency accepting some amendments to already filed PMTAs that the agency now needs to review, according to the report.

    Credit: JHVEPhoto
  • FDA Says PMTA Reviews to Take Until End of Year

    FDA Says PMTA Reviews to Take Until End of Year

    Credit: F Armstrong Photo

    In a court filing this week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration stated it will take until possibly December 31, 2023, before it completes a premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) review process for some of the most popular vapes on the market.

    Upon being informed of the delay, Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois began demanding the FDA act immediately in removing e-cigarettes and vaping products from store shelves saying the agency has ignored a court order requiring them to take action by September 2021.

    “On Tuesday, in a stunning filing to the federal judge, the Food and Drug Administration disclosed that it will take another six-month delay in fulfilling the public health duty announced by the court years ago. That the Food and Drug Administration will not finish reviewing applications for the most popular e-cigarettes until the end of 2023, is another outrageous delay,” said Durbin. “How can this federal agency knowingly, willingly ignore this court order to protect America’s children?”

    Durbin, who has repeatedly urged FDA to complete the premarket review of e-cigarettes, called on FDA to use its authority to swiftly remove any and all unreviewed vaping products from store shelves for the safety of American consumers.

    “While the FDA has dithered, dallied and delayed, more than one million of America’s kids have started vaping,” Durbin stated this week calling on the agency to obey the court order. “Not next year. Not next month. Immediately. Today,” Durbin stated in a release.

  • FDA Authorizes Three New Heated Tobacco Products

    FDA Authorizes Three New Heated Tobacco Products

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today authorized the marketing of three new tobacco-flavored heated tobacco products included in Philip Morris Products S.A.’s supplemental premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs).

    The products receiving marketing granted orders are Marlboro Sienna HeatSticks, Marlboro Bronze HeatSticks, and Marlboro Amber HeatSticks. 

    The three HeatSticks products are “heated tobacco products” (HTPs) used with the IQOS device.

    Based on FDA’s review of the supplemental PMTAs, the agency determined that the marketing of these products should be authorized because, among other things, the net population-level benefits to adult smokers outweigh the risks to youth. 

    In 2019, FDA authorized the marketing of IQOS and several other Marlboro HeatSticks products through the PMTA pathway. Philip Morris pursued marketing authorization for these new Marlboro HeatSticks by submitting supplemental PMTAs for modified versions and line extensions of the tobacco-flavored product for which the company had previously received a marketing granted order.

    A supplemental PMTA can be submitted in situations where an applicant is seeking authorization for a new tobacco product that is a modified version of a tobacco product for which they have already received a marketing granted order.  

    “Following FDA’s rigorous scientific evaluation of the applications, the agency determined that Marlboro Sienna HeatSticks, Marlboro Bronze HeatSticks, and Marlboro Amber HeatSticks are comparable to the previously authorized tobacco-flavored product,” according to FDA. “Like the previously authorized products, FDA has placed stringent marketing restrictions on the new products in an effort to prevent youth access and exposure.”

  • U.S. Court Grants Stay of Reynolds Menthol MDOs

    U.S. Court Grants Stay of Reynolds Menthol MDOs

    scales of justice
    Credit: Sang Hyun Cho

    The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has granted an administrative stay of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration marketing denial order (MDO) for two R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co. menthol flavored refill pods.

    The order was granted as a temporary stay pending a motion to file a stay with the court by Feb. 1, 2023.

    On Jan. 24, the FDA denied marketing applications for two menthol refills used in Vuse Vibe and Vuse Ciro vaporizers, which are sold in the U.S. by BAT subsidiary R.J. Reynolds. According to the agency, Reynolds’ applications presented insufficient evidence to show that the potential benefit to adult smokers outweighs the risks of youth initiation and use.

    British American Tobacco said on Jan. 25 that it intended to appeal the MDO for its Vuse Vibe Tank Menthol 3.0% and Vuse Ciro Cartridge Menthol 1.5%, the company announced in a statement.

  • Reynolds to Appeal FDA’s Denial of Menthol PMTAs

    Reynolds to Appeal FDA’s Denial of Menthol PMTAs

    British American Tobacco will appeal the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s marketing denial orders for its Vuse Vibe Tank Menthol 3.0% and Vuse Ciro Cartridge Menthol 1.5%, the company announced in a statement.

    On Jan. 24, the FDA denied marketing applications for two menthol refills used in Vuse Vibe and Vuse Ciro vaporizers, which are sold in the U.S. by BAT subsidiary R.J. Reynolds. According to the agency, Reynolds’ applications presented insufficient evidence to show that the potential benefit to adult smokers outweighs the risks of youth initiation and use.

    “Reynolds intends to seek a stay of enforcement immediately and will pursue other appropriate avenues to allow Vuse to continue offering its innovative products to adult nicotine consumers age 21+ without interruption,” the company said.

    “We believe that menthol vapor products are critical to helping adult smokers migrate away from combustible cigarettes. FDA’s decision, if allowed to go into effect, will harm, not benefit, public health.

    “We remain confident in the quality of all of Reynolds’ applications, and we believe that there is ample evidence for FDA to determine that the marketing of these products is appropriate for the protection of public health.”

    Anti-tobacco campaigners countered that menthol e-cigarettes appeal to underage consumers. “Existing evidence demonstrates that non-tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes, including menthol flavored e-cigarettes, have a known and substantial risk with regard to youth appeal, uptake and use; in contrast, data indicate tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes do not have the same appeal to youth and therefore do not pose the same degree of risk,” said  Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids in a statement.

    Morgan Stanley said it expected the rejected products to remain on the U.S. market for the duration of BAT’s appeal, with minimal impact on the company’s operations. “Longer term, should today’s denial order reflect a broader effort by the FDA to ban menthol e-cigarettes, BAT’s U.S. cigarette business could benefit given its menthol mix as it might discourage some smokers from quitting or switching to reduced risk products,” the bank wrote in a note to investors. Reynolds’ Newport brand represents about 40 percent  BAT’s U.S. cigarette dollar sales, according to Morgan Stanley.

    The Jan. 24  rejection of the Vuse refills underscores the FDA’s ongoing reluctance to approve menthol e-cigarette flavors. To date, the agency has approved only tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes.

    However, the FDA has granted both a premarket tobacco product application and modified risk tobacco product designation to IQOS’s menthol variant, which may eventually leave Philip Morris International’s heat-not-burn product as one of the few menthol reduced-risk alternatives on the market.

    The FDA is targeting publishing a final rule to ban menthol cigarettes in August 2023, but considering expected industry litigation, final implementation could be five to six years away, according to Morgan Stanley.

  • FDA Denies Marketing of 2 Vuse Menthol Products

    FDA Denies Marketing of 2 Vuse Menthol Products

    Unsurprisingly, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued marketing denial orders (MDOs) for two menthol e-cigarette products currently marketed by R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company.

    In a release today, the regulatory agency said that the products include the Vuse Vibe Tank Menthol 3.0% and the Vuse Ciro Cartridge Menthol 1.5%. Reynolds is now banned from marketing or distributing these products in the U.S. or they risk FDA enforcement action.

    The company may resubmit applications or submit new applications to address the deficiencies of the products that are subject to these MDOs. The company may also file a lawsuit against the agency’s denial.

    “Consistent with the authorities granted by Congress, the FDA remains committed to evaluating new tobacco product applications based on a public health standard that considers the risks and benefits of the tobacco product to the population as a whole,” said Brian King, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, wrote. “The applications for these products did not present sufficient scientific evidence to show that the potential benefit to adult smokers outweighs the risks of youth initiation and use.”

    The FDA isn’t expected to approve any flavored vaping products in the near future.

    Memos recently submitted to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit show that the U.S. Food and CTP King, reversed a recommended marketing approval of Logic Technology’s menthol vaping products, ignoring the advice of FDA scientists, according to Logic’s lawyers. The new documents were made available to Logic after it had filed its motion for a stay of its marketing denial order (MDO) for its menthol vaping products.

    The Vuse products cannot be legally introduced into interstate commerce in the U.S. without risking FDA enforcement. In addition to ensuring that the manufacturer complies with this order, as with unauthorized products generally, the FDA intends to ensure compliance by distributors and retailers. Retailers should contact R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company with any questions about products in their inventory. 

    “Today’s decision pertains to the specific application submitted for review by FDA,” said King. “It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide sufficiently robust scientific evidence to demonstrate that the necessary public health standard has been met. In this case, the presented evidence did not meet that standard.”

  • Fifth Circuit Grants Triton Rehearing Before Full Court

    Fifth Circuit Grants Triton Rehearing Before Full Court

    Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals

    The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit granted Wages and White Lion Investments LLC, doing business as Triton Distribution, and Vapetasia LLC’s, request for the full court to re-hear Triton’s appeal of its marketing denial order (MDO), according to a court order handed down today.

    Triton lost before a three-judge panel in July, but attorneys for Triton then filed a petition for a rehearing en banc by the entirety of the Fifth Circuit.

    Most circuit court appeals are decided by a three-judge panel, however, the special circumstances surrounding the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s denial of Triton’s premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) motivated the court to allow a majority of the active judges (an estimated 17 judges) to vote to rehear the case “en banc.”

    The FDA rejected applications to market 55,000 flavored e-cigarettes in August 2021, including Triton’s, and said applicants would likely need to conduct long-term studies establishing their products’ benefits to win approval.

    A Fifth Circuit panel in October then agreed with Triton’s claim that the new requirement for long-term studies differed from earlier FDA guidance and called the action a “surprise switcheroo” and the panel allowed Triton to keep selling its e-cigarettes until another panel could hear its appeal.

    The court then denied Triton’s request for review of the agency’s MDOs in a 2-1 decision.

    The Fifth Circuit will hear the en banc argument in Wages and White Lion Investments v. U.S. Food & Drug Administration in May.

  • FDA Accepts Bantam Vape Non-Tobacco PMTAs

    FDA Accepts Bantam Vape Non-Tobacco PMTAs

    Bantam Vape received acceptance of its premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) submission from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its non-tobacco nicotine e-liquids, according to a press release. Bantam’s application now moves to the next step in the PMTA process—a preliminary scientific review to confirm the application contains all required items to permit a substantive review by the FDA.

    Bantam submitted its application for its non-tobacco nicotine e-liquids to the FDA on May 13, 2022, and is seeking marketing orders from the agency.

    “The receipt of this acceptance letter reflects Bantam’s efforts to provide adult consumers with high-quality, science-based e-liquids while upholding our responsibility to restrict youth access and use of these products,” said Bantam spokesperson Anthony Dillon. “Bantam remains supportive of the need for science-based regulation in the e-liquids industry and is proud of the progress of our various PMTAs. We remain confident in the quality and consistency of our products and the science behind them.”

    Prior to its non-tobacco nicotine-focused submission, Bantam submitted a PMTA to the FDA in September 2020 for its tobacco-derived e-liquids. The application entered scientific review in August 2021, and, to date, remains under FDA review.

    Earlier this year, the -liquid manufacturer received an exemption from the United States Postal Service (USPS) that allows the company to ship its e-liquid products to select vape retailers and distributors throughout the United States.