Federal Court Orders FDA to Expedite Rules for Graphic Health Warnings on Cigarette Packs
Last week, a federal court in Massachusetts issued a ruling requiring the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expeditiously issue a final rule requiring graphic health warnings on cigarette packs and advertising. According to the ruling, the FDA has until Sept. 27, 2018 to provide the court with “an expedited schedule for the completion of outstanding studies, the publication of the proposed graphic warnings rule for public comment, review of public comments, and issuance of a final graphic warnings rule.” Graphic warning labels with color images were mandated by the Tobacco Control Act, which was passed in 2009. The ruling is the result of a case brought by a group of public health organizations in 2016. You can view the order here.
CDA is closely monitoring the situation, and is working with our industry partners to ensure that the concerns of our members are heard by the FDA as it goes through the rulemaking process.