“Adult” flavours can contribute to reducing risk, new startup tells FDA

1st April 2018: E-liquid flavours are under the spotlight again at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after it received an application for a new e-cig product which is claimed to reduce risk by offering only “adult” flavours.

The Science Project 2, from a hitherto unknown developer in Wyoming, has been put into the FDA’s modified risk tobacco product (MRTP) application pathway.

The product’s creators are adamant that it poses no health risks, and they identify the limited range of flavours – designed to not appeal to children – as one of the ways in which it meets MRTP criteria.

The FDA has redacted large parts of the published application, leaving it unclear how other aspects of the reduced-risk bid such as the product’s appearance and built-in camera contribute to its health impact.

The group behind the application could not be reached for comment as it was gone 7pm.

Bear necessity

Meanwhile, the FDA – already the target of criticism for not acting quickly enough on flavoured e-liquids – faces a further dilemma with the arrival in US convenience stores of tobacco-flavoured Gummi Bears and cotton candy.

Warning that the “obesity epidemic” could only worsen as a result, New Hampshire senator Chase R. Cloud III, a noted supporter of vaping, said that “these cynically marketed products are clearly intended to channel a natural and wholesome youthful taste for e-cigarettes into experimentation with sugary snacks”.

The products could be a “gateway” into crullers and even lead to the “renormalisation” of Krispy Kreme, he predicted.

– Jules Pachs ECigIntelligence associate deputy managing editor (news) (Americas) (weekends) (acting) (brackets)

Barnaby Page

Editorial director

Before joining ECigIntelligence in early 2014 as one of its first employees, Barnaby had a 30-year career as a reporter and editor for newspapers, magazines and online services, working in Canada, the US and the Middle East as well as his current British location. He has edited publications covering fields including technology and the advertising industry, and was launch editor of the first large daily online news service in the British regional media. Barnaby also writes on classical music and film for a number of publications. Barnaby manages the editorial and reporting teams and works closely with the analyst teams, to ensure that all content meets high standards of quality and relevance. He also writes for the site occasionally, mostly on science-related issues, and is a member of the Association of British Science Writers.