E-cigarettes in the United States

US - general: A North Carolina federal judge has ruled that RJ Reynolds Vapor must pay ongoing royalties to Altria for a pod-style vape, after a $95m verdict last year found it was guilty of a patent infringement. The opinion reduces Altria’s demand from 10.5% to 5.25%, which Reynolds will have to pay quarterly until the last of Altria’s patents expires in April 2035. “Altria has not shown that the pod patents’ contribution to the Alto’s performance since May 2019 justifies increasing the jury’s royalty rate of 5.25%,” the judge wrote.

US - Federal: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has denied RJ Reynolds Vapor Company permission to continue selling two menthol e-cigarette products in the US. The agency issued marketing denial orders (MDOs) today against the Vuse Vibe Tank Menthol 3.0% and the Vuse Ciro Cartridge Menthol 1.5%. Brian King, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP), said: “The applications for these products did not present sufficient scientific evidence to show that the potential benefit to adult smokers outweighs the risks of youth initiation and use.”

US - general: A US district judge has granted Juul Labs preliminary court approval of a $255m settlement resolving claims by consumers that it deceptively marketed e-cigarettes, Reuters reports. Judge William Orrick said the deal to settle almost 10,000 lawsuits filed by local governments across the US seemed “fair and reasonable.” He must still give final approval to the deal.