More FDA Disposable Enforcement: Hyde and Puff Bar Sellers Targeted

Today the FDA issued warning letters to multiple retailers and importers of Puff Bar and Hyde disposable vapes. Both brands were among those listed as favorites by middle and high school students in last year’s National Youth Tobacco Survey.

The FDA’s press release states it sent warning letters to 30 businesses today for selling unauthorized products. However, as of 1:45 p.m., just 14 letters dated May 31 were listed on the FDA warning letter site. The companies cited so far are:

The warnings are part of what appears to be a wave of enforcement actions against disposable vape products. Last week, the FDA ordered manufacturers of Breeze and Esco Bar disposables to end U.S. sales, and the week before the agency issued an import alert for Chinese and Korean shipments of Esco Bar and Elf Bar products, instructing FDA border inspectors to detain packages containing those products.

The FDA has been under pressure from members of Congress, tobacco control organizations, and cigarette giant R.J. Reynolds (which sells Vuse e-cigarettes) to crack down on flavored and disposable vape products. Disposables have grown rapidly in popularity since the FDA targeted flavored pod- and cartridge-based vapes for enforcement in 2020.

The FDA has authorized just eight vaping devices (along with tobacco-flavored refills for all of them)—all of them made by manufacturers owned by major tobacco companies. One of the eight (the Vuse Ciro) has been discontinued because of poor sales, and none of the others are popular. The agency has not authorized a single product in a flavor other than tobacco, and has not authorized any bottled e-liquids.

Dozens of vape manufacturers are challenging FDA's authorization process in federal court.