Panel warns FDA’s beleaguered tobacco unit lacks direction

By MATTHEW PERRONE
AP Health Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new report criticizes the Food and Drug Administration’s efforts to oversee the tobacco industry, including traditional cigarettes and vaping products. The report issued Monday by a group of experts faults the FDA tobacco division’s lack of clear direction and priorities. The assessment comes from a panel of experts convened by the Reagan-Udall Foundation, a non-profit that works on FDA issues. The group says the FDA’s inconsistent approach to regulation is at least partially to blame for the recent rise in underage vaping. FDA chief Dr. Robert Califf commissioned the report during the summer after months of criticism of the agency’s approach to tobacco.