A person smokes a Juul Labs Inc. e-cigarette in this arranged photograph taken in the Brooklyn Borough of New York on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018.
The Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday that it has reversed its ban on Juul e-cigarettes while it reviews new court decisions and considers updated information provided by the vape maker.
The FDA first ordered the company to stop selling its products in 2022, but they stayed on shelves pending an appeal. Juul has maintained its status as the No. 2 e-cigarette maker in the U.S. during this time.
Now, the FDA says Juul's products are back under agency review — although it emphasized that this new status was not an indication they would be fully cleared.
It said federal statutes barred it from disclosing additional information.
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In a statement, Juul said it appreciated the FDA’s decision, adding it now looks forward to "re-engaging with the agency on a science- and evidence-based process to pursue a marketing authorization" for its products.
"We remain confident in the quality and substance of our applications and believe that a full review of the science and evidence will demonstrate that our products meet the statutory standard of being appropriate for the protection of public health," the company said.
Even as Juul has pursued its appeal of the 2022 ban, that initial FDA ruling significantly disrupted the company's finances, prompting a bailout from two of its largest investors, The Wall Street Journal has reported.
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To date, the FDA has given only 23 e-cigarette products, made by just three companies, official approval to be marketed to consumers.
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