The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the sale of ZYN nicotine sachets, promoting them as a tool for quitting smoking, the BBC reports. Thursday's decision allows 10 ZYN flavors, including peppermint, coffee, cinnamon and menthol, to remain on the market. These products, made by tobacco giant Philip Morris, have been available to US adults for over a decade while the FDA considered whether to officially approve them. Nicotine sachets do not contain tobacco, unlike other forms of oral nicotine, and have gained popularity in recent years. These are placed between the gums and lips, gradually releasing nicotine, similar to traditional methods of quitting smoking, such as patches or nicotine gum. The products are similar to snus, a smokeless oral tobacco used mainly in Norway and Sweden, the only country in the European Union where it is legal. Snus contains tobacco and is banned in the UK and the rest of the EU, but is allowed in the US. The FDA decision does not mean that ZYN is safe to use, but that it is less harmful than other forms of nicotine and tobacco. The agency noted that the manufacturer provided data from a study showing that «a significant percentage of adults who use cigarettes and/or smokeless tobacco products have fully switched to the newly licensed nicotine sachets.» Unlike e-cigarettes, which have been licensed as smoking cessation devices but have seen a significant increase in use among children, there is no evidence of widespread adolescent adoption of nicotine patches. According to the FDA, less than 2% of American students reported using the sachets last year. The FDA points out that although the products have received permission to be legally marketed in the US, this «does not mean that the tobacco products are safe or that they are 'FDA approved'.» «There is no tobacco product that is safe,» the agency said. «Youth should not use tobacco products, and adults who do not use tobacco products should not start.» On Wednesday, the FDA proposed a new regulation to limit the amount of nicotine allowed in cigarettes, cigars and roll-your-own tobacco, a move that could reduce smoking and significantly impact tobacco industry revenues.
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