The Food and Drug Administration’s bombshell that it was ordering all Juul e-cigarettes off the market might turn out to be a tempest in a teapot.
The FDA issued the order, saying in a press release that, although it has “not received clinical information to suggest an immediate hazard,” concerns about potentially harmful chemicals possibly leaching from the Juul e-cigarettes e-liquid pods supported pulling the e-cigarettes off the market.
The courts have already put that order on hold, temporarily. If Juul and Altria (which owns 35% of Juul) can show that their legal challenges have merit, the stay will likely continue until the courts fully resolve the matter. That could take a while. Tobacco industry legal challenges have already delayed the FDA’s March 2020 final rule to require graphic health warnings on cigarette packs until at least July 2023, and the court is yet to make any final ruling.
Source: Barron’s