FDA Grants Funding for E-Cigarette Flavor Research

Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) awarded two grants to Dr. Tracy Smith at the Hollings Cancer Center at MUSC for researching the potential impact of allowing flavored e-cigarettes and banning the use of menthol.

This move has been welcomed by global tobacco harm reduction (THR) experts who have long urged the FDA to study the scientific basis of such products.

Smith said:

The FDA has the authority to do many things that can greatly assist in improving public health and reducing preventable diseases caused by smoking.

She will collaborate with Dr. Theodore Wagener, the director of the Tobacco Research Center at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, to conduct a $3.9 million research study on the flavors of electronic cigarettes.

Wagner stated that so far, any regulatory decisions made by the FDA have been based on incomplete scientific data.

He added that this would be the first study to provide the organization with authoritative information regarding whether the product is beneficial to adult smokers.

References:

A researcher at Hollings is examining the impact of menthol and e-cigarette flavors on current cigarette smokers.