FDA bans Juul e-cigarettes tied to teen vaping surge

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials on Thursday ordered Juul to pull its electronic cigarettes from the U.S. market, the latest blow to the embattled company widely blamed for sparking a national surge in teen vaping.

The action is part of a sweeping effort by the Food and Drug Administration to bring scientific scrutiny to the multibillion-dollar vaping industry after years of regulatory delays.

The FDA said Juul must stop selling its vaping device and its tobacco and menthol flavored cartridges. Those already on the market must be removed. Consumers aren't restricted from having or using Juul's products, the agency said.

To stay on the market, companies must show that their e-cigarettes benefit public health. In practice, that means proving that adult smokers who use them are likely to quit or reduce their smoking, while teens are unlikely to get hooked on them.

The FDA noted that some of the biggest sellers like Juul may have played a "disproportionate" role in the rise in teen vaping. The agency said Thursday that Juul's application didn't have enough evidence to show that marketing its products "would be appropriate for the protection of the public health."

A Juul representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

In a statement, the FDA said Juul's application left regulators with significant questions and didn't include enough information to evaluate any potential risks. The agency said the company's research included "insufficient and conflicting data" about things like potentially harmful chemicals leaching from Juul's cartridges.

"Without the data needed to determine relevant health risks, the FDA is issuing these marketing denial orders." Michele Mital, acting director of the FDA's tobacco center, said in the statement.

The agency has granted some e-cigarette applications. Since last fall, the agency has given its OK to tobacco flavored e-cigarettes from R.J. Reynolds, Logic and other companies.

But industry players and anti-tobacco advocates have complained that those products account for just a tiny percent of the $6 billion vaping market in the U.S.

Regulators repeatedly delayed making decisions on devices from market leaders, including Juul, which remains the best-selling vaping brand although sales have dipped.