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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

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

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 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

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

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

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

On December 19, 2025, FDA issued Marketing Granted Orders authorizing six on! PLUS oral nicotine pouches from Helix Innovations (Altria): Mint, Tobacco, and Wintergreen, each in 6 mg and 9 mg nicotine strengths. FDA framed these as the first decisions to come out of its nicotine-pouch PMTA pilot, designed to speed reviews without lowering

Save the date for Keller and Heckman’s 10th Annual E-Vapor, Nicotine, and Tobacco Law Symposium, taking place on May 4 – 5, 2026, in Las Vegas, NV, at the Paris Las Vegas hotel (right before the CHAMPS Trade Show)!

This two-day seminar is designed to provide in-depth knowledge on legal, regulatory, and scientific

On July 17, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued Marketing Granted Orders (MGOs) to JUUL Labs Inc. (JUUL), authorizing for sale JUUL’s tobacco- and menthol-flavored pod-based electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) products in the United States, reversing its previous position and marking a major regulatory milestone in the years-long evaluation of JUUL’s