Seizing Opportunities
The FDA calls for money seekers and ambulance chasers to submit self-diagnosed reports of vape-related seizures
-
by Dave Cross
Share on:
Acting FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless said: “The FDA is continuing its scientific investigation to determine if there’s a direct relationship between the use of e-cigarettes and a risk of seizure or other neurological symptoms. Although we still don’t have enough information to determine if e-cigarettes are causing these reported incidents, we believe it’s critical to keep the public updated on the information we’ve received based on the agency’s initial request for reports earlier this year.”
“At this time, FDA has not identified any specific brand or product problem associated with incidents of some e-cig users experiencing seizures” - FDA
“We appreciate the public response to our initial call for reports, and we strongly encourage the public to submit new or follow-up reports with as much detail as possible. Additional reports or more detailed information about these incidents are vital to help inform our analysis and may help us identify common risk factors and determine whether any specific e-cigarette product attributes, such as nicotine content or formulation, may be more likely to contribute to seizures.”
“It is imperative that health care professionals, consumers, parents, teachers and other concerned adults, as well as youth and young adult users, report detailed information about any past or future incidents of seizures following e-cigarette use to the FDA. We’re committed to monitoring this issue closely and taking additional steps as necessary to protect the public, especially our nation’s youth, from the dangers of e-cigarettes and other tobacco products.”
Despite having no idea about whether seizures are linked to vaping, and ignoring the wholesale absence of supporting events globally, the FDA says it is seeking more information “to better understand whether there is a relationship between e-cigarette use and neurological events” and asking “ that any unexpected health or product issues experienced with e-cigarettes or any tobacco product be reported to the FDA through the Safety Reporting Portal”.
The agency is tasked by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to protect the public health. With its ongoing war against tobacco harm reduction it appears to be primarily focussed on promoting the wealth of certain market sectors and the political ambitions of a few to the detriment of public health.
Not only does the figure of 127 reported cases stand at odds with the rest of the world, one hundred of these came about following a spate of baseless, sensationalist news stories. Also, the agency is selectively ignoring the fact that traditional NRT drugs are directly linked to increasing the chances of seizures.
PoTV asked Acting Commissioner Sharpless to explain why only Americans appear to be having seizures. He has failed to respond.
Resources:
- FDA Press Release – [link]
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
Join the discussion
Be Vape Vigilant Success
The ‘Be Vape Vigilant’ national initiative has exposed more than 100 potential rogue vape traders says the UK Vaping Industry Association
-
by Dave Cross
The COP10 Scorecard
Dr Derek Yach and Tobacco Harm Reduction.net have released a COP10 Scorecard report, drawing upon recent World Health Organization (WHO) reports to assess progress made by Parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)
-
by Dave Cross
A Manifesto for Smokefree Beginnings
The Smoking in Pregnancy Challenge Group has produced its fourth national report: “A Manifesto for Smokefree Beginnings”
-
by Dave Cross
European Parliament Endorses Smoking Cessation Tool
The European Parliament has endorsed vaping as a smoking cessation tool via its Subcommittee on Public Health, according to the World Vapers’ Alliance
-
by Dave Cross
