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A new tobacco product is being introduced as a safer way to smoke cigarettes, but manufacturers want to ensure that there are sufficient modified-risk claims in place to protect users.
According to CSNews.com, the FDA has already decided to review a modified-risk tobacco product application that has been submitted by the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co., but USSTC is seeking an additional claim about the risk of Copenhagen Snuff Fine Cut.
USSTC, which is an Altria Group Inc. subsidiary, believes that smokers deserve to have all of the information available about the tobacco products they are consuming, especially if they are looking for safer alternatives.
According to blog.heartland.org, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co. is seeking approval for the following statement on their products:
“IF YOU SMOKE CONSIDER THIS: Switching completely to this product from cigarettes reduces the risk of lung cancer.”
Altria is concerned, however, that smokers who are looking for a healthier alternative to cigarettes are not being given all of the information they deserve to know about the risks of consuming Copenhagen Snuff.
According to data from the National Health Interview Survey, smokeless tobacco users face much lower risks of disease and death than those who regularly use cigarettes, while smokers have three times the mortality rate from cancer compared to users of smokeless tobacco products.
Joe Murillo, senior VP of regulatory affairs of Altria Client Services, said in a CSNews report, “It's critical that smokers have accurate, non-misleading health information about different tobacco products. We filed this application because we think adult smokers looking for potential reduced risk alternatives to cigarettes should have accurate information about the relative risks of Copenhagen Snuff.”
The awareness is an important stage in tobacco products becoming more safe, as the FDA’s Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Survey showed that 61 percent of adults currently believe that moist, smokeless tobacco is as harmful as normal cigarettes, whereas the actual risks are greatly decreased.
