U.S. proposes cigarette nicotine cut, shift toward e-cigarettes

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - The U.S. government proposed cutting nicotine in cigarettes to “non-addictive” levels yesterday in a major regulatory shift designed to move smokers toward potentially less harmful e-cigarettes. Shares of major tobacco companies in the United States and UK slumped in heavy trading volume after the proposal was unveiled by the head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, with the world’s biggest producers losing about $26 billion of market value.

“Nicotine itself is not responsible for the cancer, the lung disease and heart disease that kill hundreds of thousands of Americans each year,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said. “It’s the other chemical compounds in tobacco and in the smoke created by setting tobacco on fire that directly cause illness and death.”

The FDA cannot reduce nicotine levels to zero, nor can it ban cigarettes. But Gottlieb said the agency would study regulating nicotine levels with a view toward the “FDA’s potential to render cigarettes minimally addictive or nonaddictive.”

Analysts said they expect regulators in Europe to study similar actions on nicotine products.

The action shakes up a debate among public health advocates as to whether e-cigarettes represent a health risk or potential benefit.

“While there’s still much research to be done on these products and the risks that they may pose, they may also present benefits that we must consider,” Gottlieb said. Gottlieb, a cancer survivor and physician who was confirmed as FDA Commmmissioner on May 9, was expected to be friendly toward the e-cigarette industry since he previously held a financial interest in a so-called “vape” shop called Kure. During an April hearing on whether to advance his nomination for the FDA position, he said some e-cigarettes may have the potential to wean smokers off combustible cigarettes and be less harmful.

The FDA’s announcement sets in motion a lengthy rule-making process that will involve public comment and input from multiple stakeholders before any measures take effect.