Health Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Tobacco Control Act

Today the U.S. Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health will examine the regulatory activities of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products.

April 08, 2014

WASHINGTON – Today the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health is holding a hearing to examine the implementation of the Tobacco Control Act, specifically the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) oversight of regulatory activities of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) since it was established in 2009 under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.

The CTP is responsible for reviewing the marketing of new tobacco product submissions, enforcing prohibitions on the sale of certain tobacco products, developing regulations and guidance and handling other regulatory activities. Under current law, tobacco manufacturers and importers are assessed user fees, which provide the sole source of funding for the CTP’s regulatory activities. 

GAO has conducted extensive analysis on the implementation of the Tobacco Control Act, including a September 2013 report, “New Tobacco Products: FDA Needs to Set Time Frames for Its Review Process,” which examined the status of the CTP’s review of new tobacco product submissions, responses to meeting requests and use of resources. GAO also has conducted work on trade in tobacco products and issued a report in April 2012, which in part describes market shifts and differences in FDA’s regulation of various types of tobacco products. GAO currently is working on a report concerning “the adequacy of [FDA’s] authority and resources” as well as “any recommendations for strengthening that authority” that will be issued later this year.

The Subcommittee also will discuss H.R. 389, the “Transparency in Tobacco User Fees Act of 2013,” which was introduced by Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY-02) on January 23, 2013. This bill would require FDA to submit annual reports to Congress on the use of tobacco user fees assessed and collected under the Tobacco Control Act.

The hearing begins today at 10:15 am EST. Check NACS Daily tomorrow for an in-depth update on the hearing.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement