New York, NY – May 16, 2019 – Yesterday, the U.S. District Court of Maryland Judge Paul Grimm granted summary judgment for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) et al v FDA. The court found that the FDA had unnecessarily and inappropriately delayed taking action to regulate e-cigarette products.
AAP has 14 days to recommend to the court the specific remedies that the FDA should take to regulate e-cigarettes. The FDA will have 14 days to respond. The court will then issue its final decision with specific actions and timelines that the FDA must adhere to in regulating e-cigarette products.
“I am glad the court will finally force the FDA to act and act quickly to protect kids from e-cigarettes,” say ATS Tobacco Action Committee Vice Chair Enid Neptune, MD.
The ATS led a coalition of medical groups in filing an amicus brief in support of the AAP’s legal action. For too long the FDA has delayed taking decisive action to regulate e-cigarettes, a dereliction of duty that has compelled the ATS to assert its position regarding the risk to youth smokers and to call for legislative measures.
For more on ATS comments and testimony on the dangers of tobacco consumption, including e-cigarettes products, visit ATS tobacco advocacy statements here.
