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]
ENDS
FDA Inspection Blitz Leads to Over 180 Warning Letters to Retailers for the Sale of Unauthorized E-Cigarettes

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…
Keller and Heckman Files Supreme Court Amicus Brief on Behalf of Public Health Experts in Support of Avail Vapor’s Cert Petition Challenging FDA’s Marketing Denial Order



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…

FDA Files Civil Money Penalty Complaints Against Four Small Vape Shops for Alleged Premarket Review Violations


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:
…FDA Files Permanent Injunctions Against Six Small Vape Shops for Alleged Premarket Review Violations


On October 18, 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), on behalf of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (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.…

FDA Denies Authorization to Market JUUL ENDS Products; Company Intends to Seek Stay of the Marketing Denial Orders



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…

Counsel Daniel McGee to Present at Next Generation Nicotine Delivery USA 2022 Conference
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…
China Publishes Final GB Standard on E-Cigarettes: The Basis for Product Compliance



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…

FDA Authorizes Tobacco-Flavored Logic Technology Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS) for Marketing & Issues Marketing Denial Orders for Fontem’s myblu ENDS Products



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…

Ahead of Final Rule, U.S. Postal Service Publishes Guidance Regarding Non-Mailability of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems


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…