FDA Carts Away Thousands Of Documents After Surprise Inspection Of Juul Headquarters
Juul has come under fire recently as more and more young people turn to e-cigarettes as an alternative to traditional smoking. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb went so far as to say the problem has reached "epidemic proportions." The documents seized were related to the company’s sales and marketing practices.
The New York Times:
F.D.A. Seizes Documents From Juul Headquarters
The Food and Drug Administration conducted a surprise inspection of the headquarters of the e-cigarette maker Juul Labs last Friday, carting away more than a thousand documents it said were related to the company’s sales and marketing practices. The move, announced on Tuesday, was seen as an attempt to ratchet up pressure on the company, which controls 72 percent of the e-cigarette market in the United States and whose products have become popular in high schools. The F.D.A. said it was particularly interested in whether Juul deliberately targeted minors as consumers. (Hoffman, 10/2)
Reuters:
FDA Seizes Documents From Juul In Latest E-Cigarette Crackdown
The inspection, completed on Friday, followed a request in April for documents that would help the agency better understand the high rates of use and appeal among youth of Juul products.The FDA also said it conducted inspections of several of Juul's contract manufacturing units earlier this year. "We've now released over 50,000 pages of documents to the FDA since April that support our public statements," Juul Chief Executive Officer Kevin Burns said in a statement, adding the meeting with the regulator was constructive and transparent. (Mathias, Banerjee and Abutaleb, 10/2)
The Washington Post:
FDA Seizes Juul E-Cigarette Documents In Surprise Inspection Of Headquarters
The Juul product, which is sleek and shaped like a USB drive, has surged in popularity, including among high school students. Critics say some of the e-liquid flavors, including mango and creme, make the product especially appealing to minors. But vaping defenders say such flavors are critical to helping adult smokers switch from more dangerous combustible cigarettes to safer e-cigarettes. (McGinley, 10/2)
The Wall Street Journal:
FDA Conducted Surprise Inspection Of Juul’s Headquarters
The number of high-school students who used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days has risen roughly 75% since last year to about three million, or about 20% of high-school students, according to unpublished preliminary federal data. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in September that teen use of e-cigarettes “has reached an epidemic proportion.” He announced new measures to curb teen vaping and said he was considering banning flavored products. (Maloney, 10/2)