A top Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official was grilled by members of Congress on Wednesday for declining to answers questions about the agency’s plan to curb youth vaping rates.
Mitch Zeller, director of the Center for Tobacco Products, would not say whether the FDA is still considering a proposal to clear the market of flavored e-cigarette products it says are appealing to kids.
“There has been no final decision made on this policy. Because there is ongoing discussions that are taking place, I’m not going to be able to get into the substance of what was in that document,” Zeller said about guidance the FDA sent to the White House in October.
That response wasn’t sufficient for Democratic members of the House Oversight and Reform Committee who have grown frustrated with the administration’s slow pace.
“I suggest you go back to the FDA and you tell them the American public is up in arms about this youth e-cigarette epidemic,” said Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy.
Jessie Hellmann – The Hill – December 4, 2019.
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