Photo of Azim ChowdhuryPhoto of Eric P. Gotting

On July 24, 2023, Keller and Heckman Partners Eric Gotting and Azim Chowdhury, along with co-counsel, on behalf of members of the Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) industry[i], filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) in support of petitioners in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo[ii]

Photo of Azim Chowdhury

On June 22, 2023, FDA announced it had issued warning letters to 189 retailers for selling unauthorized flavored tobacco products manufactured by Elf Bar and Esco Bar brands. This enforcement action comes on the heels of earlier aggressive action by FDA in its issuance of more than 570 warning letters to firms for the manufacture

Photo of Azim ChowdhuryPhoto of Eric P. Gotting
Seal of the Supreme Court of the United States

On June 14, 2023, Keller and Heckman Partners Eric Gotting and Azim Chowdhury, on behalf of a group of public health experts, filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) in support of Avail Vapor’s writ of certiorari petitioning SCOTUS to review the Fourth Circuit’s decision to uphold the Food

Photo of Azim ChowdhuryPhoto of Ian Murray

On February 22, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the filing of civil money penalty (CMP) complaints against four domestic e-liquid manufacturers, all of which appear to be small vape shops that were producing nicotine-containing e-liquids used in open-system electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) devices.[1] The four named companies are:

Photo of Azim ChowdhuryPhoto of Ian Murray

On October 18, 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), on behalf of the U.S. Food and Drug AdministratDepartment of Justice Sealion (FDA), filed complaints for permanent injunctions against six domestic e-liquid manufacturers across different federal district courts, all of which appear to be small vape shops that were producing nicotine-containing e-liquids used in open-system e-cigarette devices.

Photo of Azim ChowdhuryPhoto of LieAnn T. Van-TullPhoto of Josephine Hsu

On June 23, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued marketing denial orders (MDOs)[1] to Juul Labs Inc. for all of the company’s JUUL electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) products currently marketed in the United States. After review, FDA determined that Juul’s Premarket Tobacco Product Applications (PMTAs), submitted more than two years

Keller and Heckman Counsel Daniel McGee will present, “Navigating Evolving Vaping Laws Around the Country – State Law Update,” at the Next Generation Nicotine Delivery USA 2022 event, June 22-23, 2022, in Miami, Florida. This event will bring together business leaders from the ENDS and tobacco industry together with other experts in the field for

Photo of Azim ChowdhuryPhoto of David J. EttingerPhoto of Eric Gu

Since we reported in December 2021 on some significant developments in China’s regulation of e-cigarettes (including the draft national standard on e-cigarettes) as well as in March 2022 on the finalized Management Rules for E-Cigarettes, China’s State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA), also referred to as China National Tobacco Corporation (CNTC), has not only released the

Photo of Azim ChowdhuryPhoto of Josephine HsuPhoto of LieAnn T. Van-Tull

FDA Premarket Tobacco Product Application (PMTA) Pathway

Under FDA’s premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) pathway, manufacturers or importers of tobacco products must demonstrate to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that the marketing of a new tobacco product would be appropriate for the protection of the public health (APPH). See Section 910(c)(2)(A) of the

Photo of Azim ChowdhuryPhoto of Galen D. Rende

As we have previously reported, on December 27, 2020, Congress amended the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act to apply to e-cigarettes and all vaping products (referred to in the legislation collectively as “Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems” or “ENDS”).  Under the amended PACT Act, these products are subject to the same federal and state