U.S. FDA commissioner worn down by multiple e-cigarette lawsuits: In court every day and exhausted

Today’s news, June 1st, according to Politico, Robert Califf, the commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), expressed regret over the ongoing lawsuits from the tobacco industry as the agency attempts to regulate e-cigarettes. The FDA is facing over 40 lawsuits from companies whose pre-market tobacco product applications were rejected.

"We are in court every day, and it’s exhausting for the agency," Califf said at the annual public meeting of the Reagan-Udall Foundation. "The impact is significant, much greater than I anticipated."

He stated, "None of us anticipated there would be 27 million e-cigarette applications."

Califf also pointed out that enforcement is challenging when it comes to illegal products. "I find myself in a truly epic struggle... when I think about how to enforce when you have such a creative industry."

Califf hinted that the FDA would soon meet with the Department of Justice to discuss enforcement issues but declined to provide further details: stay tuned.