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It's not that often that you hear a trump official unabashedly blaming a US company for a health crisis. But that's exactly what FDA chief Scott Gottlieb did in an interview during his final week in office.
"The dramatic spike of youth [vaping] – that was driven in part by Juul, "the maker of hugely popular vape products, Gottlieb told Vox by phone. "I hope they recognize the problem that has been created largely by their product."
Gottlieb joined the Trump administration in 2017, the leading cause of preventable death in the US.
But then the teen vaping epidemic – what he calls an "addiction crisis" – exploded under his watch. By 2018, the number of high school seniors who say they have nicotine vapors in the past 30 days – from 11 percent to nearly 21 percent, according to the National Institutes of Health survey. That was the largest increase ever recorded in any substance of the survey's 43-year history.
In the same period, Juul Labs took over three-quarters of the US e-cigarette market.
Gottlieb, who resigned on March 5 to spend more time with his family, with the help of Juul. He also said the 2019 national survey will be filled with questions about which brands are using. But that did not stop him from pointing the finger at the company he believes enflamed a public health crisis.
"There's no question the Juul product is a lot of youth use," he continued. "I'm not willing to concede that the Juul product was responsible – at least in part – for the sharp uptick in youth use."
A leader in an anti-regulation administration
As a member of the Trump administration, Gottlieb has often defied expectations. A doctoral student and a venture capitalist, he arrived at the FDA with strong ties to the industry. Critics wondered if he was right for the job.
The 46-year-old quickly proved himself to be an outspoken advocate of public health. He's put forward policies on everything from reducing nicotine levels into cigarettes to lowering prices by getting more generic options on the market.
"I never felt my public health agenda was at odds with the administration or broader philosophy," he said. White house and from the department [of Health and Human Services] for what we've done. "
Now, even in his last week in office, he's calling for more regulation of the vaping industry – and especially companies that've marketed to young people, like Juul.
A crackdown on Juul-like products may be necessary to curb the "addiction crisis," Gottlieb says
This pack contains a lot of nicotine as well as a lot of cigarettes and nicotine salts are absorbed into the body. It's almost nicotine-free cigarettes, which is why officials worry Juul may be more addictive than other e-cigarettes.
Juli's early marketing campaign – blasted out through social media, often featuring young influencers and young people partying – tells a different story.
"Gottlieb said," It's not so much about marketing that it's not going to be appealing to a youth, to a teenager. It certainly in my view had some impact on creating the problem we have now. "
Goal Gottlieb's early record at FDA on e-cigarettes was somewhat mixed. In 2017, it has delayed the compliance deadline for the regulation of e-cigarette products to 2022. This is the reason why they are not recommended. minors. Gottlieb theft the delay to give way to the manufacturers of cigarettes.
Some public health advocates viewed the move as a giveaway for the vaping industry, and a chance for e-cigarette makers to further expand their market share at a time when e-cigarette in teens has been used. For these reasons, the health groups are following the FDA's recommendations and are asking questions about FDA to begin regulating e-cigarette products like other cigarettes immediately.
Since then, as in the past, we have been growing up in the past. Vaping advocates have criticized these moves, saying the FDA might make it harder for smokers to access e-cigarettes for smoking cessation.
Looking Ahead, Gottlieb said about youth vaping rates. "This is an addiction crisis, and it's going to take time to reverse. I do not anticipate we're going to see you in this e-cigarettes this year. "
"Does e-cigarette use among teenagers go up 10 percent or 40 percent? If it goes up 40 percent, we're going to step up to additional steps and take action to address the issue of these products to kids, "Gottlieb said.
When asked what it might look like, Gottlieb suggested the broad category of e-cigarette products.
"If [e-cigarette companies] cant keep these [products] out of the hands of kids to a better degree than they're doing now, "
Life after FDA
There is one other blemish on Gottlieb's otherwise respectable track record. The opioid epidemic has continued to worsen during the last two years. While Gottlieb's actions have been widely investigated by opioid experts, he has also been told that he has been criticized for failing to treat opioid overdose of naloxone for over-the-counter use, and for bringing it to market yet another painkiller potential for abuse.
Despite those concerns, however, his resignation was still viewed as a loss for public health.
Gottlieb has been tight-lipped about where he's going after FDA. He's repeatedly denied his reasons for resigning are anything more than the personal desire to spend more time with family. For now, we know that Ned Sharpless, the current director of the National Cancer Institute, will be acting as FDA chief.
Gottlieb hopes the next commissioner will build his legacy – and believes the Trump administration will help that person do so.
"Secretary Azar [at HHS] has been extremely supportive of our efforts to reduce death and disease from tobacco [and] my recent efforts to keep these products out of the hands of kids. I expect [Azar] to continue to be a strong champion. "
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