FDA Starts Reviewing Menthol and Flavored Cigar Feedback

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has received nearly 175,000 comments on its proposed Tobacco Product Standard for Menthol in Cigarettes and approximately 71,000 comments on its proposed Tobacco Product Standard for Characterizing Flavors in Cigars.

On May 4, 2022, the FDA published the proposed tobacco product standards in the Federal Register. Initially, the FDA provided a 60-day comment period for the rules, but the FDA later extended the comment period to a total of 90 days. On Aug. 2, the comment period closed.

In addition to accepting written public comments, the agency convened public listening sessions on June 13 and June 15.

The agency stressed that it would take a while to review the submitted comments, scientific data, expert opinions and facts. “FDA is committed to completing the rulemaking process as quickly as possible; however, the agency will need ample time to comprehensively review and analyze all of the comments,” wrote FDA Public Health Analyst Beaza Yeheyes in an email.