SILVER SPRING, Md. — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued warning letters to five companies selling unauthorized e-cigarette products. Each of the 15 different products was packaged to look like toys, food or cartoon characters, and is likely to promote use by youth, the FDA said.
Features of the products included:
- Designed to look like toys and youth-appealing electronics like glow sticks, Nintendo Game Boy and walkie talkies.
- Featured characters from TV shows, movies and video games like “The Simpsons,” “Family Guy,” “Squid Game,” “Rick and Morty,” “Minions,” and “Baby Bus.”
- Imitated foods like popsicles.
The FDA issued warning letters to Wizman Ltd., doing business as Wizvapor; Shenzhen Fumot Technology Co. Ltd., doing business as R and M Vapes; Shenzhen Quaqins Technology Co. Ltd.; Ruthless Vapor; and Moti Global. The letters notified the recipients that e-cigarettes without a marketing authorization order are adulterated and misbranded, and that selling or distributing the products in the United States is prohibited under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
“The designs of these products are an utterly flagrant attempt to target kids,” said the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products Director Brian King. “It’s a hard sell to suggest that adults using e-cigarettes with the goal of quitting smoking need a cartoon character emblazoned across the front of the product in order to do so successfully.”
Retailers and distributors should communicate with their suppliers to discuss possible options for the unauthorized products in their inventory, the FDA said.
This round of warning letters marks another instance in the agency’s efforts to remove illegally marketed tobacco products from the market. Through Oct. 28, the FDA has issued more than 440 warning letters to firms marketing illegal e-cigarettes with tobacco-derived nicotine, and more than 60 warning letters to firms marketing illegal products containing non-tobacco nicotine.
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