R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company is banned from selling Camel Crush Bold and three other cigarette brands in the United States as announced by the Food and Drug Administration last Tuesday. For the first time, the FDA has ordered a major tobacco company to stop selling several of its brands.
As reported in CNBC, four of the company's brands have failed to meet requirements set forth in the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). Camel Crush Bold, Pall Mall Deep Set Recessed Filter, Pall Mall Deep Set Recessed Filter Menthol and Vantage Tech 13 are not substantially equivalent to their respective "predicate products" that were marketed in 2007 according to FDA. In other words, these brands are considered adulterated.
In a statement released, Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products said, "These decisions were based on a rigorous, science-based review designed to protect the public from the harms caused by tobacco use. The agency will continue to review product submissions and exercise its legal authority and consumer protection duty to remove products from the market when they fail to meet the public health bar set forth under law."
The agency has authorized 257 applications and denied 113, Zeller added. Those products introduced after 2007 were allowed to remain in the market as long as the manufacturer submits an application before March 2011. However, Reynolds has failed to show proof that the four brands that were ordered to be removed do not expose smokers to more harmful chemicals, higher levels of menthol or new ingredients.
The Reynolds ruling is the most high-profile by far and was announced three weeks after the agency told Reynolds and its two competitors that they cannot claim their products as "natural" or "additive-free" without regulatory approval.
Reportedly, the FDA said it does not intend to enforce the ban right away and will give enough time for retailers to get rid of the four cigarettes from their inventory. As of date, no statement has been release by Reynolds.