FDA backs Zyn nicotine pouches, citing health benefits for adult smokers

WASHINGTON — Federal health officials on Thursday backed the public health benefits of nicotine pouches, authorizing Philip Morris International’s Zyn to help adult smokers cut back or quit cigarettes.The Food and Drug Administration OK’d 10 Zyn flavors, including coffee, mint and menthol.It’s the first time regulators have authorized sales of nicotine pouches, which are the fastest-growing segment of the US tobacco market.The pouches have been available for more than a decade as FDA reviewed company data intended to show the products can serve as an alternative to cigarettes and other traditional tobacco productsThe decision doesn’t mean that Zyn is safe, just less harmful than older alternatives.To remain on the market, companies generally must show that their products will reduce disease among adult tobacco users without attracting teens and adolescents.FDA officials said Thursday that Zyn contains fewer harmful ingredients than cigarettes and various types of chewing tobacco, including snuff, which are linked to cancer and other life-threatening diseases.Company data also showed “a substantial portion of adults” who previously smoked switched completely to Zyn, regulators said.The pouches are sold in two different strengths.“The data show that these nicotine pouch products meet that bar by benefiting adults who use cigarettes or smokeless tobacco products,” said Matthew Farrelly of FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products.The FDA has previously granted similar authorization to several brands of e-cigarettes, a tobacco-heating device, and snus, a type of pasteurized tobacco that is popular in Scandinavian counties.Unlike snus, Zyn and other nicotine pouches don’t contain tobacco, only nicotine and flavoring.For decades, tobacco companies have tried to develop alternative products to replace dwindling sales of cigarettes, as smoking levels in the US and worldwide continue to fall.E-cigarettes became popular more than a decade ago, but fa...