“We do know that e-cigarettes — as a general class — have markedly less risk than a combustible cigarette product.” – Brian King, CTP director.
Three months in his new role as the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) tobacco chief seems to have given Brian King a changed perspective on vapes.
King, known to be a vocal opponent of vapes, took over as director of FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) in July. In a recent AP interview, when asked about the fact that many adults think e-cigarettes are as dangerous as traditional cigarettes, King said, “I’m fully aware of the misperceptions that are out there and aren’t consistent with the known science. We do know that e-cigarettes — as a general class — have markedly less risk than a combustible cigarette product. That said, I think it’s very critical that we inform any communication campaigns using science and evidence. It has to be very carefully thought out to ensure that we’re maximizing impact and avoiding unintended consequences.”
Asked about vapes’ potential to help reduce adult smoking, King said there was “a lot of really important science and innovations that have occurred in the industry in recent years”, adding that the most notable was nicotine salts in e-cigarettes.
“We know that when you smoke a tobacco product, it’s a very efficient way to deliver nicotine across the blood-brain barrier. So, it’s been very difficult to rival that efficiency in another product. But in the case of nicotine salts you have the potential to more efficiently deliver nicotine which could hold some public health promise in terms of giving smokers enough nicotine that they would transition completely. But you also have to consider the opposite side of the coin, which is the inherent risks of initiation among youth. So I do worry about that.”
“So there’s a lot happening and I think that it could be promise or peril. But I think it’s important that the science drives that.”