(Reuters) – The U.S. Food And Drug Administration said on Tuesday it seized documents from Juul Labs related to its sales and marketing practices after conducting a surprise inspection, in the agency’s latest crackdown on e-cigarette companies.
A woman smokes a Juul e-cigarette in New York, U.S., September 27, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Last month, the FDA said it was considering a ban on flavored e-cigarettes from Juul and other companies as it grapples with an “epidemic” of youth e-cigarette use that threatens to create a new generation of nicotine addicts.
Juul has about 72 percent of the U.S. market for e-cigarette sales, according to Wells Fargo. “Juuling,” along with “vaping,” has become a common term for e-cigarette use by teenagers on social media and at U.S. high schools.
The inspection, which was completed on Friday, followed the agency’s request for information in April for documents that would help it better understand the reportedly high rates of youth use and the youth appeal of Juul products.
Juul did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
The FDA also said it had conducted inspections of several of Juul’s contract manufacturing facilities earlier this year.
Reporting by Tamara Mathias and Ankur Banerjee in Bengaluru and Yasmeen Abutaleb in Washington; Editing by Maju Samuel