FDA Investigates Possible Link Between Juul E-Cigarettes and Seizures

According to Bloomberg on Thursday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating a possible link between seizures and e-cigarette use, involving three cases related to Juul. Bloomberg contacted FDA officials in mid-October 2018, who detailed these three cases.

The FDA found "no evidence of causation, but at least an association with Juul," wrote Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products, in a letter to former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb. According to Bloomberg, Zeller stated in an interview that the FDA has not confirmed that Juul use is related to two of the seizures reported in the initial three cases.

"We know their preliminary report found 32 cases related to e-cigarette products over the past decade, in which the submitters mentioned JUUL products," a Juul spokesperson said in an email statement to The Verge. "While the FDA has not yet reached out to us on this issue, we will closely monitor any evidence of potential safety issues and work collaboratively, as we continue to combat youth usage and eliminate tobacco, which is the world's leading preventable cause of death."

In the following months, the agency discovered another 32 reports of e-cigarette use related to seizures from 2010 to 2019. Earlier this month, the FDA confirmed 127 cases of seizures or neurological symptoms associated with e-cigarettes. The FDA continues to investigate reports of seizures through its safety reporting portal.

Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating an unknown lung disease that also appears to be related to e-cigarettes. More than 190 people have been affected by this unknown illness. Last week, one patient died after being hospitalized.

On Wednesday, USA Today published an article linking e-cigarettes like Juul to lung diseases. "Many patients are using nicotine and tetrahydrocannabinol," Juul told USA Today in a statement. "We must also ensure that illegal products, such as counterfeit products, imitations, and those offering controlled substances, are kept off the market.