MELBOURNE, Fla. — Bidi Vapor LLC is combating the flood of illegal electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) that it said have entered the market.
The maker of Bidi Stick, a disposable ENDS product, said its strategies include injunctions and lawsuits over false advertising and intellectual property violations and an appeal to local and federal law enforcement including sharing data from Bidi’s own investigation efforts.
“Bad actors are flooding the market with products that fail to meet FDA standards, mislabel their formulations and use candy and fruity flavored names that entice kids,” said Niraj “Raj” Patel, president and CEO of Bidi Vapor, Melbourne, Fla. “For companies like ours that live by the rules, it’s an uneven playing field.”
Over the last several months, Bidi Vapor has pursued litigation and conducted targeted outreach to state attorneys general and federal agencies including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Patel entered the ENDS industry in 2014 with the goal of developing and designing a device for adult smokers and to focus on solid, age-restrictive policies and market only to the adult smoking population, or those ages 21 and older, Bidi Vapor said.
“Adult smokers deserve a viable option to combustible cigarettes that delivers on their brand message,” Patel said. “They deserve products made with quality and backed by integrity.”
Bidi Vapor also sells the Bidi Pouch, a tobacco-free nicotine pouch line.
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