FDA and NIH Fund New Center for Rapid Surveillance of Tobacco

Today’s news, June 2: according to foreign media reports, the FDA and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have provided funding for the new Center for Rapid Surveillance of Tobacco (CRST). Through rapid monitoring and reporting, the CRST will strengthen the ability of the CTP and the research community to understand, document, and quantify changes in the tobacco product market and patterns of tobacco use.

The CRST’s findings are expected to generate insights and data directly relevant to the FDA’s regulation of the manufacturing, distribution, and marketing of tobacco products in order to protect public health.

In particular, the CRST will support more time-sensitive data collection, analysis, and reporting—providing potentially actionable information ahead of more traditional data collection methods.

“Given the rapid evolution of the tobacco landscape, it is critical that we have flexible surveillance tools to keep pace and best protect public health,” said Brian King, Ph.D., M.P.H., director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products. “This new center is another important addition to our monitoring toolbox, helping identify emerging issues and enabling timely action.”

The CRST is supported by the Tobacco Regulatory Science Program, an interagency partnership between the NIH and the CTP designed to advance tobacco regulatory research.

Following a competitive funding announcement, the CRST is being managed through a cooperative agreement, award number U01CA278695. This work is led by the Rutgers Center of Excellence for Rapid Surveillance of Tobacco, a large collaborative network that triangulates multiple data sources, with substantial participation from federal scientific staff at the CDC, NIH, and CTP, as well as external advisors with relevant expertise.