(Carrick Pharmacy News) The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued warning letters to five companies for selling products they shouldn’t be selling.
The companies under fire were the following:
- Wizman Limited doing business as Wizvapor
- Shenzhen Fumot Technology Co., Ltd. doing business as R and M Vapes
- Shenzhen Quawins Technology Co., Ltd.
- Ruthless Vapor
- Moti Global
The problem? These companies were marketing 15 different electronic cigarette products that were catering to young people. These products looked like toys (glow sticks, walkie-talkies, Nintendo Gameboys, popsicles and similar foods) or had well-known characters (Family Guy, Minions, Squid Game).
Plus, these companies did not submit applications for any of their products, making them unauthorized products in violation of FDA regulations.
It is unsafe for kids, teens and young adults to use e-cigarettes. One reason is that most e-cig liquids contain nicotine.
Not only is nicotine addictive, but it can harm the developing brain. The brain continues to develop into the early to mid-20s.
Plus, e-cigs can have other harmful substances in them.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), e-cigs have been the No. 1 used tobacco product among young people for the last nine years.
Furthermore, the most recent data showed that about 1 out of every 30 middle school students had used e-cigs in the last month.
“The designs of these products are an utterly flagrant attempt to target kids,” said Dr. Brian King, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, in a press release. “The agency will continue to hold companies accountable for illegally selling e-cigarettes, particularly those that shamelessly target youth.”
The companies will need to correct the violations, and if they fail to, the FDA can take further and more serious actions.
Through Oct. 28, the FDA indicated that they had issued more than 440 warning letters to companies illegally marketing e-cigs containing tobacco-derived nicotine.
