FDA approves four flavored nicotine pouches

The Food and Drug Administration has granted marketing authorization to four new flavored nicotine pouches as part of the agency’s tobacco review pilot program launched last year (Source: “FDA authorizes 4 flavored nicotine pouches,” The Hill, Aug. 4).

The authorizations, announced by the FDA this week, are part of the agency’s pilot program launched in September 2025 meant to “streamline the review process for premarket tobacco product applications.”
 
Since returning to office, President Trump’s administration has pushed regulatory actions favorable towards the tobacco industry, with a particular focus on non-combustible tobacco products. The FDA in June allowed Zyn nicotine pouches, owned by Philip Morris International, to be marketed as less harmful than cigarettes.
 
Lung health advocates blasted this week’s FDA announcement.
 
“Over 90% of young people who use nicotine pouches use flavored products, and nicotine pouches are already the second most commonly used tobacco product among youth,” Ranjana Caple, director of federal advocacy at the American Lung Association, said in a statement. “These products are attracting kids who otherwise may never have used a tobacco product. FDA should be protecting kids—not authorizing more flavored products. Kids deserve better.”