E-cigarette maker Juul on Friday asked a federal court to block a government decision to stop selling its e-cigarettes.
Posted at 1:25 p.m.
Juul has asked the court to stay what it calls an “extraordinary and unlawful action” by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The company has filed an emergency petition with the United States Court of Appeals in Washington as it prepares to appeal the FDA decision.
The FDA ruled Thursday that Juul must stop selling its tobacco- and menthol-flavored vaping device and cartridges.
The move is part of a broad effort by the agency to conduct a scientific review of the multi-billion dollar vaping industry after years of legislative delays.
To stay in the market, companies must demonstrate that their e-cigarettes benefit public health. In practice, this means that they must prove that adult smokers who use them are likely to quit or reduce their tobacco consumption, and that adolescents are not at risk of becoming addicted to these products.
The FDA said the documents provided by Juul left lawmakers with important questions and did not contain enough information to assess the risks. Juul said, on the contrary, that it had submitted enough information and data to answer all the questions raised.