FDA's Tobacco Committee Approves Revised Menthol Report

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- With noted objections from tobacco industry representatives, the Food and Drug Administration's Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee (TPSAC) gave a thumbs up to revisions to its report on menthol today.

The TPSAC's Menthol Report was released in March and recommended that removing menthol cigarettes from the market would benefit public health. At today's meeting, the TPSAC members discussed revisions to the report -- which were primarily editorial in nature and do not change the March recommendation -- and approved those revisions by a 8-to-0 vote.

"This report has been developed by TPSAC over 10, now 11, meetings and reflects the work of the committee," explained John Samet, chairman of the committee. "We stand by this work, and our findings and recommendations in the report."

Today's vote, however, does not make a final determination on menthol cigarettes -- that is still up to the FDA. There is no deadline for the agency to issue a ruling. The FDA analysis of the data on menthol will now be submitted for an independent peer review, as CSNews Online previously reported. Those results are expected by the fall.

Staying on the cigarette front, the FDA is also holding two webinars on July 26 on the new required warning labels for cigarette packages and advertisements. The agency released the final nine graphic warning in June.

The compliance training will be broken up into two sessions: a morning one for small tobacco manufacturers and an afternoon session for retailers. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions during the webinars, the FDA said.