The US Food and Drug Administration will require certain tobacco products introduced or changed after February of 2007 to be reviewed by the agency. Tobacco companies will have until March 22nd to apply for products to be approved as “substantially equivalent.” That means the products pose no added risk to smokers than products already available in early 2007.
David Howard is a spokesman for the Winston-Salem-based R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company:
"We look forward to working together with the FDA on the applications that we have submitted, as well as the development of the guidance and proposed rulemaking on exemptions of the substantial equivalence process."
The FDA will begin requiring all new products to be approved by the agency after March. They stress that smoking any tobacco product is harmful and that approval from the FDA to market doesn’t make the products safe. It just means they’ve been reviewed and deemed no MORE harmful than other cigarettes.