FDA has issued orders to stop the further sale and distribution of four tobacco products currently on the market. The action marks the first time the FDA has used its authority under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act to order a manufacturer of currently available tobacco products to stop selling and distributing them.
The products, Sutra Bidis Red, Sutra Bidis Menthol, Sutra Bidis Red Cone, and Sutra Bidis Menthol Cone, were found to be not substantially equivalent to tobacco products commercially marketed as of February 15, 2007. This means they can no longer be sold or distributed in interstate commerce or imported into the United States.
“Historically, tobacco companies controlled which products came on and off the market without any oversight,” said Mitch Zeller, JD, Director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products. “But the Tobacco Control Act gave the FDA, a science-based regulatory agency, the authority to review applications and determine which new tobacco products may be sold and distributed under the law in order to protect public health.” ■
For more information, visit www.fda.gov/TobaccoProducts/
