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Teenage vaping is reaching epidemic levels and the FDA is planning to put regulations in place to deal with it One proposal would be to ban the flavoring of electronic cigarette liquids.
USA TODAY & # 39; HUI

Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have discovered significant amounts of toxic metals in some electronic heating coils.(Photo: amesy, Getty Images / iStockphoto)

The Food and Drug Administration This week, a manufacturer of electronic cigarettes was warned by a warning that he was selling e-liquid products containing active ingredients contained in the drugs against erectile dysfunction, Cialis and Viagra.

The FDA has granted HelloCig Electronic Technology Co., Ltd., based in China, 15 days to respond to concerns that some of its products were "new unapproved drugs" sold in the United States, the company said. agency.

"E-Cialis HelloCig E-Liquid" contains sildenafil (active in Viagra) and tadalafil (active in Cialis), and "E-Rimonabant HelloCig E-Liquid" contains sildenafil, confirmed a laboratory analysis of e- liquids.

Cialis and Viagra are FDA-approved drugs, but they are not approved to be added to e-cigarette liquids, the FDA said.

"Prescription drugs are carefully evaluated and labeled to reflect the risks of the drugs and their potential interactions with other drugs, and the vaporization of its active ingredients is an ineffective and potentially dangerous delivery route," said Thursday FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb. "There are no e-liquids containing prescription drugs that have been proven safe or effective by this route."

In addition, the FDA stated that HelloCig had used images of vials and Cialis pills in its advertising, suggesting that e-liquid could be used to treat erectile dysfunction, as well as vials and pills for Acomplia , an anti-obesity drug not approved by the FDA.

In one case, the FDA has documented, the company has posted on Twitter and Tumblr the message "WOOOOW, have you tried our E-Cialis? It's amazing LOL Check out", with a link to the product and a picture of "partially undressed couple kissing."

The link that the FDA included in his letter was no longer on the company's website when USA TODAY attempted to access it on Friday night. HelloCig also did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.

The FDA has warned that the ingredients could have negative effects and interact with other prescription drugs to treat high blood pressure or heart disease.

HelloCig also sold other products that claimed to be approved by the FDA but were not, the agency said.

More: FDA declares outbreak of epidemic among youth, announces investigation and new application

More: FDA seizes documents during the inspection of electronic cigarette manufacturer Juul

"This action is part of the FDA's broader efforts to regulate the safety of vaping products and to combat misleading claims and illegal and dangerous e-liquids that could attract young people or people." to put consumers at risk, "said Gottlieb.

The agency also sent letters Friday to nearly two dozen electronic cigarette manufacturers to ask them if any of their products were being traded illegally.

Just a month ago, Gottlieb declared that youth was an "epidemic". The FDA has ordered companies such as Juul, Vuse, MarkTen XL, Blu and Logic to submit "robust" plans to prevent youth vaping. The agency could stop selling products if it did not think the manufacturers were doing enough.

"Teenagers are becoming regular users and the proportion of regular users is increasing," Gottlieb said in September. "Nobody can look at the data and say there is no problem."

Contributed by: Jayne O Donnell, USA TODAY & # 39; HUI. Follow Ryan Miller on Twitter @RyanW_Miller

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