US
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner, Scott Gottlieb, has announced that he would resign at the end of the month.
Gottlieb, Gottlieb, known for his aggressive efforts to regulate the tobacco and e-cigarette industries, said the reason for his resignation was family and his weariness with commuting to see his wife and three children, who have remained in their Westport, CT. home since he took office.
His announcement raised questions about whether his push to reduce teenage vaping and lower nicotine levels and ban menthol in cigarettes will continue.
Gottlieb said he planned to advance pending tobacco regulations before he leaves, and that he was confident, he said, that FDA ’s guidance on restricting flavored e-cigarettes would be issued before he left. However, he acknowledged that he could not predict the fate of his proposals to ban menthol in cigarettes and reduce nicotine to non-addictive levels in cigarettes.Wells Fargo Securities’ Bonnie Herzog said “We think this major development will be broadly viewed as a positive for the tobacco industry, although this introduces some uncertainty. We believe his resignation calls into question whether or not the FDA will, in fact, enforce harsher regulations around youth e-cig usage/access, cig nicotine limits and a cig menthol ban given he was the champion behind these initiatives.”