FDA Ignores Its Own Data Showing Threat to Kids by Allowing Highly Addictive Vuse to Remain on the Market

Today, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it authorized the marketing application for high-nicotine Vuse e-cigarette products. The American Lung Association’s President and CEO Harold Wimmer issued the following statement in response to the FDA’s announcement:

“The American Lung Association is dismayed that FDA will permit three Vuse products to remain on the market in the U.S., including products that contain almost 5% nicotine. The harm these products cause to youth shows that they fail to meet the Tobacco Control Act’s public health standard. 

“According to the 2021 National Youth Tobacco Use Survey (NYTS), Vuse, owned by Reynolds Tobacco, is the second most popular e-cigarette brand among high schoolers, with nearly 11% use among high school students who currently used e-cigarettes. The company bears significant responsibility for youth tobacco use and also for the youth vaping epidemic, where it continues the same tactics, including appealing flavors, youth-focused marketing campaigns and high levels of nicotine to addict them. 

“Youth vaping is still at critical levels. In fact, more than two million middle and high school students reported using e-cigarettes in 2021. We are also alarmed by the frequency of use by teens: 43.6% of high school students who use e-cigarettes are vaping regularly (20 or more of the past 30 days), and more than 1 in 4 (27.6%) are vaping daily. This regular use underscores how addicted youth have become to e-cigarettes. The high level of nicotine in e-cigarettes like Vuse is fueling this addiction. 

“FDA’s decision to issue a marketing granted order to these Vuse products is especially troublesome, given that the agency acknowledged the results of the 2021 NYTS study that shows nearly 11% of high school students said their regular brand of e-cigarettes is Vuse. 

“Completely removing high-nicotine products like Vuse from the market and ending the sale of all flavored e-cigarettes products, including menthol, is the clear path to ending the youth vaping epidemic.” 

The Lung Association has resources to prevent tobacco use and help youth quit, specifically designed for schools, parents and teens, including The Vape Talk, our Vape-Free Schools Initiative, Not On Tobacco, and more resources available online. 

For media interested in speaking with an expert, contact the American Lung Association at Jill.Dale@Lung.org or at 312-940-7001.