On June 30, 2026, FDA issued modified risk granted orders to Swedish Match USA, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Philip Morris International Inc., for 20 ZYN nicotine pouch products, authorizing the company to market those products with the claim: “Using ZYN instead of cigarettes puts you at a lower risk of mouth cancer, heart
Azim Chowdhury
Azim Chowdhury is a regulatory and public policy attorney with a focus on vapor, nicotine and tobacco product regulation. He is a Partner in Keller and Heckman’s nationally-ranked food and drug law practice.
Mr. Chowdhury advises domestic and foreign corporations in matters of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and international regulatory compliance. In particular, he has developed expertise in tobacco and vapor product regulation relating to the implementation of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, and spearheaded the Tobacco and E-Vapor practice at Keller and Heckman. Specifically, Mr. Chowdhury has experience representing tobacco, e-cigarette and e-liquid manufacturers, distributors, retailers, suppliers and trade associations in matters of FDA, state and global regulatory compliance. He also assists corporations in establishing clearances for food and drug additives in the U.S., Canada, and European Union, with an emphasis on indirect additives used in food-contact materials.
Mr. Chowdhury has authored and edited numerous articles and publications, including Tobacco Regulation and Compliance: An Essential Resource, FDA Regulation of Tobacco: A Comprehensive Guide – An FDLI Primer and Tobacco and Nicotine Delivery: Regulation and Compliance, 2nd Edition. He is a frequent contributor to the Food and Drug Law Institute's (FDLI) Update Magazine and has served on the Editorial Advisory Board of the Food and Drug Law Journal. In addition, he has been interviewed in the U.S. News and World Reports Best Lawyers Edition (2016) and was named one of “10 Names to Know in the Vape World” in the October 2015 issue of Vape Magazine. Mr. Chowdhury received the 2018 National Law Review Go-To Thought Leadership Award for his consistent coverage of the emerging issues surrounding vaping and e-cigarettes on Keller and Heckman’s law blog, The Continuum of Risk. As an industry leader, Mr. Chowdhury frequently speaks at industry conferences and events.
Mr. Chowdhury also has an active pro bono practice through Keller and Heckman’s Pro Bono Program, and has been featured in the Baltimore Sun for successfully obtaining asylum in the United States for a family who fled their home country of El Salvador because of violence they faced from an international gang.
Prior to entering private practice, he served as a judicial law clerk on the Court of Special Appeals of Maryland. Mr. Chowdhury received a B.A. and B.S. from Johns Hopkins University, a MBA from the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business, and a JD, cum laude, from the University of Maryland School of Law.
Education: Johns Hopkins University (B.A., B.S., 2003); University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business (M.B.A., 2006); University of Maryland School of Law (J.D., 2006, cum laude).
Admissions: District of Columbia; Maryland
FDA Proposes Long-Awaited Rule to Require Foreign Tobacco Manufacturers to Register Establishments and List Products
On June 26, 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Tobacco Products (CTP), announced a proposed rule titled “Establishment Registration and Product Listing for Tobacco Products” that, if finalized, would require foreign tobacco product manufacturing establishments to register with FDA and list tobacco products manufactured for import into the United…
Maine Enacts First-in-the-Nation EPR Law for Electronic Smoking Devices
On April 23, 2026, Maine enacted Public Law Chapter 769, An Act to Create a Stewardship Program for Electronic Smoking Devices and Related Products, codified at 38 M.R.S.A. § 1618. The law appears to make Maine the first U.S. state to enact an extended producer responsibility (EPR) law specifically targeting “electronic smoking devices.” Once the…
FDA’s New ENDS and Nicotine Pouch Enforcement Guidance: Lower Priority for Post-November 2021 Reviewable Applications, Higher Scrutiny for Illicit Products
On May 8, 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued final guidance describing how the Agency intends to prioritize enforcement for certain unauthorized electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and oral nicotine pouch products marketed without premarket authorization. The guidance is effective immediately and replaces FDA’s prior April 2020 ENDS enforcement-priorities guidance.
Critically…
FDA Authorizes Glas Flavored ENDS Products, Opening an Age-Gating Pathway for Flavors
On May 5, 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued marketing granted orders (MGOs) for four Glas closed-pod electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) products: Classic Menthol, Fresh Menthol, Gold (mango), and Sapphire (blueberry). The authorization is a significant development for the ENDS industry because the Gold and Sapphire are FDA’s first authorized non-tobacco…
Pennsylvania’s New ENDS Directory Law Raises the Bar for Market Access

Pennsylvania has joined the growing group of states that condition ENDS sales on federal PMTA status. Enacted as Act 57 of 2025, House Bill 1425 adds Section 206-I to The Fiscal Code and directs the Pennsylvania Attorney General to maintain a directory of electronic cigarettes that may be sold in the Commonwealth. The law ties…
How FDA Can Better Align Its Draft Guidance on Flavored ENDS with the Tobacco Control Act’s APPH Mandate
As discussed in our earlier post, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) new draft guidance on flavored electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) products represents a meaningful effort to provide additional clarity about the Agency’s evidentiary expectations for premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs). That clarity is welcome. At the same time, the draft guidance…
FDA Formalizes a Flavor-Specific PMTA Framework as Youth Vaping Continues to Decline
On March 9, 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a new draft guidance for industry, Flavored Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) Premarket Applications – Considerations Related to Youth Risk, clarifying how the agency evaluates whether a non-tobacco-flavored electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) product is appropriate for the protection of the public…
Agenda Announced – Keller and Heckman’s 10th Annual E-Vapor, Nicotine, and Tobacco Law Symposium
We are pleased to announce the agenda for Keller and Heckman’s 10th Annual E-Vapor, Nicotine, and Tobacco Law Symposium, being held Monday, May 4 – Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada, right before the CHAMPS Trade Show! Click here to view the full program agenda.
Click here to register and save…
China State Tobacco Monopoly Administration Expands Oversight to Nicotine Pouches and Smokeless Products
On January 9, 2026, China’s top tobacco regulator, the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA), published Announcement No. 1 of 20261, officially incorporating nicotine pouches and other “smokeless tobacco products” into its regulatory framework. According to the Announcement, “smokeless tobacco products” refer to tobacco products containing nicotine that are used orally, nasally, or externally…